Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Chad and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
N'Djamena may be the capital and by far the largest city but was only founded on May 29th 1900. Initially known as Fort Lamy, as suggested by the French commander Emile Gentil to honour his colleague Amedee-Francois Lamy who was killed at the Battle of Kousseri just days earlier.In April 1973 President Francois Tombalbaye officially changed the name to N'Djamena, this from the nearby village of Nigamina, an Arabic name meaning 'place of rest'.
Sarh took its name from the Sara people. Native to this southern part of Chad, they get their name from the Arabic Sa-Ra meaning 'sons of Ra', the ancient Egyptian sun god.
Am Timan is named from the Arabic for 'mother of twins', although just why it is known as such is a mystery.
Kanem is a reminder of the Kanem Empire of the Kanembu people, a once nomadic people of northeast Africa who eventually settled in this part of Chad.
Baguirmi is a department of Chad, taking its name from the kingdom of Bagirmi and the Bagirmi people whose name has never been explained.
Dar Tama gets its name from the indigenous Tama people and their Nilo-Saharan language.
Tibetsi is the name given to the mountain range and is the etymological version of the old chicken and egg question for the name means 'the place where the mountain people live'. This is the Toubou, a group who derive their name from Old Tebu for 'the rock people' which further confuses the question as to which came first - unlike the chicken and egg poser, where clearly the egg came first as eggs are also laid by reptiles, amphibians, dinosaurs (the chicken''s ancestor), fish, insects, and marine invertebrates for billions of years before the chicken.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Central African Republic Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time the Central African Republic and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Bangui is named for being on the bank of the Ubangi River, itself the local Bobangi word for 'rapids' and marking the northern limit of navigable water.
Carnot was named to honour the French president Sadi Carnot following his assassination in June 1894. Following a speech at Lyon, an Italian anarchist by the name of Sante Geronimo Caserio, stabbed and killed a man who had just hinted would not be standing for re-election. Caserio himself was executed six weeks later.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Bangui is named for being on the bank of the Ubangi River, itself the local Bobangi word for 'rapids' and marking the northern limit of navigable water.
Carnot was named to honour the French president Sadi Carnot following his assassination in June 1894. Following a speech at Lyon, an Italian anarchist by the name of Sante Geronimo Caserio, stabbed and killed a man who had just hinted would not be standing for re-election. Caserio himself was executed six weeks later.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Zambia and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Zambia and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names.
Lusaka was named after the village, itself named after its headsman, which is traditionally held to have stood at the foot of Manda Hill. The hill name comes from the Nyanja tongue and means 'graveyard'.
Kabwe had previously been known as Broken Hill, a name transferred here by European and Australian miners who saw similarities between this site and one at Broken Hill in New South Wales. The present name of Kabwe is an abbreviation of kabwe-ka mukuba referring to either the 'ore' or perhaps 'smelting' operation.
Mufulira is named as 'the place of abundance' and refers to the copper mine employing at least 10,000 workers and 300,000 tonnes of copper.
Livingstone is clearly an English name, this recalling the famous British explorer and missionary David Livingstone, the first European to explore this part of Africa.
Chipata takes its name from the Ngoni word chimpata meaning literally 'large space', that the shallow valley between the hills in which Chipata lies.
Chililabombwe is a town in the Copperbelt Province and one delightfully named as 'the place of the croaking frog'.
Kanyembo takes its name from the traditional ruler, Chief Kanyembo.
Kazembe is the name found on every map and official record (albeit sometimes as Kasembe), and follows the tradition of naming the village or settlement after its chief or headsman. Yet the correct name for the place is Mwansabombwe or 'where Mwansa works', this being the name used by the Luba and Chibemba people who live here.
Makeni has never been explained which is probably why the idea it comes from the surname McKenny has been suggested.
Mansa is another taking its name from the chief, although during the days of the British Empire this was known as Fort Rosebery.
Mazubuka is from the Tonga word twazabuka. and means 'to cross the river'. With no record of either a permanent or contemporary crossing here, it is thought to refer to the migration ofs the Tonga people across the Magoye river.
Monze is named after Chief Monze, the spiritual leader of the Tonga people.
Shiwa Ngandu bases its name of the nearby Lake Ishiba Ng'andu which, in the Memba language, means 'lake of the royal crocodile'.
Zambezi is a village named, not unsurprisingly, from the fourth-longest river in Africa. Vasco de Gama was the first known European to observe the river, doing so in 1648 when he recorded this as the Rio dos Bons Sinais or 'river of good omens' and which today is the name given to a small river feeding into the northern part of the delta. By the 16th century the name is found as Cuama and is still recorded as such locally, especially when speaking of the delta when it is labelled as 'the rivers of the Cuama'. The first recording of the modern name comes from 1552, when another Portuguese explorer notes the local Monomatapa name as Zembere and in 1597 this is seen as Zambeze and both were said to have been named after a people inhabiting the shores of the river somewhere upstream. Now, on a river extending a hairsbreadth under 1,600 miles, to know the location of these people is unlikely but there is a little evidence, in the name of the M'biza people, to suggest they were a Bantu people found around what is now central-eastern Zambia. In the mid-19th century the idea of the name coming from the Bantu term mbeze pointed to this referring to 'the river of fish'. A not unexpected simplistic meaning supported by David Livingstone's notes telling of how he had heard a number of Lozi people names for the river - Luambeji, Luambesi, Ambezi, Ojimbesi, Zambesii and Leeambye - all said to refer to 'the large river' or even 'the river par exellence'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Lusaka was named after the village, itself named after its headsman, which is traditionally held to have stood at the foot of Manda Hill. The hill name comes from the Nyanja tongue and means 'graveyard'.
Kabwe had previously been known as Broken Hill, a name transferred here by European and Australian miners who saw similarities between this site and one at Broken Hill in New South Wales. The present name of Kabwe is an abbreviation of kabwe-ka mukuba referring to either the 'ore' or perhaps 'smelting' operation.
Mufulira is named as 'the place of abundance' and refers to the copper mine employing at least 10,000 workers and 300,000 tonnes of copper.
Livingstone is clearly an English name, this recalling the famous British explorer and missionary David Livingstone, the first European to explore this part of Africa.
Chipata takes its name from the Ngoni word chimpata meaning literally 'large space', that the shallow valley between the hills in which Chipata lies.
Chililabombwe is a town in the Copperbelt Province and one delightfully named as 'the place of the croaking frog'.
Kanyembo takes its name from the traditional ruler, Chief Kanyembo.
Kazembe is the name found on every map and official record (albeit sometimes as Kasembe), and follows the tradition of naming the village or settlement after its chief or headsman. Yet the correct name for the place is Mwansabombwe or 'where Mwansa works', this being the name used by the Luba and Chibemba people who live here.
Makeni has never been explained which is probably why the idea it comes from the surname McKenny has been suggested.
Mansa is another taking its name from the chief, although during the days of the British Empire this was known as Fort Rosebery.
Mazubuka is from the Tonga word twazabuka. and means 'to cross the river'. With no record of either a permanent or contemporary crossing here, it is thought to refer to the migration ofs the Tonga people across the Magoye river.
Monze is named after Chief Monze, the spiritual leader of the Tonga people.
Shiwa Ngandu bases its name of the nearby Lake Ishiba Ng'andu which, in the Memba language, means 'lake of the royal crocodile'.
Zambezi is a village named, not unsurprisingly, from the fourth-longest river in Africa. Vasco de Gama was the first known European to observe the river, doing so in 1648 when he recorded this as the Rio dos Bons Sinais or 'river of good omens' and which today is the name given to a small river feeding into the northern part of the delta. By the 16th century the name is found as Cuama and is still recorded as such locally, especially when speaking of the delta when it is labelled as 'the rivers of the Cuama'. The first recording of the modern name comes from 1552, when another Portuguese explorer notes the local Monomatapa name as Zembere and in 1597 this is seen as Zambeze and both were said to have been named after a people inhabiting the shores of the river somewhere upstream. Now, on a river extending a hairsbreadth under 1,600 miles, to know the location of these people is unlikely but there is a little evidence, in the name of the M'biza people, to suggest they were a Bantu people found around what is now central-eastern Zambia. In the mid-19th century the idea of the name coming from the Bantu term mbeze pointed to this referring to 'the river of fish'. A not unexpected simplistic meaning supported by David Livingstone's notes telling of how he had heard a number of Lozi people names for the river - Luambeji, Luambesi, Ambezi, Ojimbesi, Zambesii and Leeambye - all said to refer to 'the large river' or even 'the river par exellence'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Canada and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Canada and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the largest.
Toronto had originally been a water channel between lakes Simcoe and Couchiching known as Taronto. In time this came to be used for the newly built fort, itself originally known as Fort York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York. The original name of Toronto was restored in 1834, a Mohawk word tkaronto meaning 'where there are trees standing in the water' and still an apt description of this place today.
Montreal is named after Mount Royal, the three-peaked hill on which the city stands. There is no agreement as to whether this is derived from the French mont Real or from an Italian Monte Real, either having the same meaning.
Vancouver took the name of George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792.
Calgary borrowed its name from Calgary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. As with so many names around this part of Britain it is derived from Old Scandinavian, where kald gart or 'cold garden'. Rather than taking this literally, we should understand this as 'exposed' rather than cold and 'agricultural land' as opposed to garden.
Edmonton was named after Edmonton in London, the home town of both John Peter Pruden and Hudson's Bay Company deputy governor Sir James Winter Lake. Whilst hardly applicable here, the name of Edmonton is derived from Old English and describes the tun of 'farmstead of a man called Eadhelm'.
Ottawa is from the Ottawa River, itself the Algonquin word Odawa meaning 'to trade'.
Quebec is one of the oldest cities on the North American continent, it from the Algonquin kebec meaning 'where the river narrows'.
Winnipeg is another name of local origins. Here, taken from that of Lake Winnipeg, it describes 'the muddy or brackish water'.
Hamilton is named after George Hamilton, founder of the city on land he purchased as Barton Township from James Durand in January 1815.
Kitchener was originally known by the highly appropriate name of Sandhills, for obvious reasons. By 1833 the number of German immigrants gave this a name of Berlin, then in 1916 to Kitchener after Field Marshal the 1st Earl Kitchener.
London is clearly transferred from the United Kingdom's capital. The problem here is the name of London has never been defined, with the earliest record of Londinium simply a Litinicised version of whatever had gone before. It has always been, and will doubtless likely remain, a mystery.
Victoria springs no surprises being named after Queen Victoria, formerly the longest reigning monarch in British history.
Halifax is another transferred from its counterpart in the United Kingdom. Here the original name meant 'the nook of land where coarse grass grows', but came here as a title from the 2nd Earl of Halifax.
Oshawa comes from the Ojibwa word aazhaway simply mewaning 'crossing point'.
Windsor is another transferred from the United Kingdom. Today the name of the ruling royal house and also a famous castle, its rather ignominious beginnings were down to Windsor's location on the Thames. Goods brought by river had to come up a steep and slippery bank. Ingenuity came to the rescue in the form of winding gear which made use of the slippery slope to bring the goods up on a sled.
Saskatoon is derived from the Cree tongue where misaskwatominik refers to this as 'the place of the saskatoon berry'. This local fruit is a sweet berry described as violet in colour.
Regina was, like Victoria, named for Queen Victoria. Here this was the suggestion of her daughter, Princess Louise, as her husband was then Governor General of Canada. Previously the place had the far better name of Wascana, the Cree word for 'buffalo bones'.
Barrie was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, who was then in charge of Canada's naval forces.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Toronto had originally been a water channel between lakes Simcoe and Couchiching known as Taronto. In time this came to be used for the newly built fort, itself originally known as Fort York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York. The original name of Toronto was restored in 1834, a Mohawk word tkaronto meaning 'where there are trees standing in the water' and still an apt description of this place today.
Montreal is named after Mount Royal, the three-peaked hill on which the city stands. There is no agreement as to whether this is derived from the French mont Real or from an Italian Monte Real, either having the same meaning.
Vancouver took the name of George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792.
Calgary borrowed its name from Calgary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. As with so many names around this part of Britain it is derived from Old Scandinavian, where kald gart or 'cold garden'. Rather than taking this literally, we should understand this as 'exposed' rather than cold and 'agricultural land' as opposed to garden.
Edmonton was named after Edmonton in London, the home town of both John Peter Pruden and Hudson's Bay Company deputy governor Sir James Winter Lake. Whilst hardly applicable here, the name of Edmonton is derived from Old English and describes the tun of 'farmstead of a man called Eadhelm'.
Ottawa is from the Ottawa River, itself the Algonquin word Odawa meaning 'to trade'.
Quebec is one of the oldest cities on the North American continent, it from the Algonquin kebec meaning 'where the river narrows'.
Winnipeg is another name of local origins. Here, taken from that of Lake Winnipeg, it describes 'the muddy or brackish water'.
Hamilton is named after George Hamilton, founder of the city on land he purchased as Barton Township from James Durand in January 1815.
Kitchener was originally known by the highly appropriate name of Sandhills, for obvious reasons. By 1833 the number of German immigrants gave this a name of Berlin, then in 1916 to Kitchener after Field Marshal the 1st Earl Kitchener.
London is clearly transferred from the United Kingdom's capital. The problem here is the name of London has never been defined, with the earliest record of Londinium simply a Litinicised version of whatever had gone before. It has always been, and will doubtless likely remain, a mystery.
Victoria springs no surprises being named after Queen Victoria, formerly the longest reigning monarch in British history.
Halifax is another transferred from its counterpart in the United Kingdom. Here the original name meant 'the nook of land where coarse grass grows', but came here as a title from the 2nd Earl of Halifax.
Oshawa comes from the Ojibwa word aazhaway simply mewaning 'crossing point'.
Windsor is another transferred from the United Kingdom. Today the name of the ruling royal house and also a famous castle, its rather ignominious beginnings were down to Windsor's location on the Thames. Goods brought by river had to come up a steep and slippery bank. Ingenuity came to the rescue in the form of winding gear which made use of the slippery slope to bring the goods up on a sled.
Saskatoon is derived from the Cree tongue where misaskwatominik refers to this as 'the place of the saskatoon berry'. This local fruit is a sweet berry described as violet in colour.
Regina was, like Victoria, named for Queen Victoria. Here this was the suggestion of her daughter, Princess Louise, as her husband was then Governor General of Canada. Previously the place had the far better name of Wascana, the Cree word for 'buffalo bones'.
Barrie was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, who was then in charge of Canada's naval forces.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Cameroon and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Cameroon and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Yaounde is not the largest city, that title goes to Douala. Founded as Jeundo by German explorers in the 1880s, the German botanist August Zenker recorded the name as Jaunde, itself a German spelling of the name of the local Yaunde people who took their name from their agrarian lifestyle with the name translating as simply 'groundnut'.
Douala is first recorded under Portuguese rule, then known as Rio dos Camarons. From 1884 this was under the Germans and then Kamerunstadt or 'Cameroon city', until becoming Douala in 1907 and coming from the native peoples of Dua ala Ijaws.
Mokolo is dominated by two different peoples: the Mafa or Matakam people, whose name means 'well-dressed'; and the Fulani or Fulbe.
Ngaoundere is named after the nearby mountain, itself meaning 'the navel mountain'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Yaounde is not the largest city, that title goes to Douala. Founded as Jeundo by German explorers in the 1880s, the German botanist August Zenker recorded the name as Jaunde, itself a German spelling of the name of the local Yaunde people who took their name from their agrarian lifestyle with the name translating as simply 'groundnut'.
Douala is first recorded under Portuguese rule, then known as Rio dos Camarons. From 1884 this was under the Germans and then Kamerunstadt or 'Cameroon city', until becoming Douala in 1907 and coming from the native peoples of Dua ala Ijaws.
Mokolo is dominated by two different peoples: the Mafa or Matakam people, whose name means 'well-dressed'; and the Fulani or Fulbe.
Ngaoundere is named after the nearby mountain, itself meaning 'the navel mountain'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 22 November 2015
Cambodia and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Cambodia and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital. Incidentally, those books initially only published as ebooks are now available from the print on demand service at Feed A Read
Phnom Penh literally translates as Penh's hill', taking its name frpm Wat Phnom or 'the hill temple'. Folklore speaks of the year 1372 and a koki tree floating down the Tonle Sap river. A wealthy woman, the money left to her by her late husband, spotted this tree and inside found four bronze statues of Buddha and a single statue to Vishnu in stone. She ordered the villagers to use the wood from the koki tree to build a templee housing the four Buddhas on the summit, with a shrine for the image of Vishnu just below on the slope. Penh's Hill is not immediately apparent, being just 90 feet high. Yet this is not the city's official name but should correctly be Krong Chaktomuk Mongkoi Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Sereythor Inhabot Roth Reach Seima Maha Nokor. Named King Ponhea Yat and meaning 'the place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom', this is usually abbreviated as Krong Chaktomok or 'the city of four faces'.
Battambang is another name to derive from legendary sources. Here the name means 'loss of staff' and comes from the tale of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung, where a farmer became king - Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung means 'king of Kranhoung stick'. Said stick was carried by the farmer when he fought alongside Khmer soldiers to liberate this Siam-occupied territory. It was because of his heroic actions he was nominated as king but soon found himself deposed by a younger man. He threw the now sacred black stick at the usurper but its powers were no more and the farmer lost both the stick and his throne.
Siem Reap has similar beginnings to Battambang. Here the name translates as 'Siam defeated', itself likely suggested by the earlier name under Siamese rule when Siemmarat meant 'Siam's territory'.
Sihanoukville is the westernised version of a city officially known as Krong Preah Sihanouk or 'city of the holy Sihanouk'.. King Norodom Sihanouk reigned 1941-1955 and 1993-2004, hailed as father of modern Cambodia and whose name is derived from Sanskrit siha hanu 'lion jaws'.
Prey Veng literally translates as 'long forest', although the trees had disappeared by the 1980s, cleared to provide more land for agriculture.
Kampong Cham can be split into two distinct parts. Kampong speaks of its location and means 'at the side of the water', while Cham refers to the collection of independent regions found along this coastline from at least the 7th century right up to 1832.
Krong Ta Khmau translates as 'black grandfather'.
Pursat is named after a kind of tree found locally, the name also found for both the region and the river draining this area.
Kampong Speu is literally 'the port of the starfruit', a tree found in this region. Note while speu is the Khmer word for 'starfruit', the area is know for its sugar and wine production.
Takeo translates as 'crystal grandfather' and is a name applied to both a city and a province.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Phnom Penh literally translates as Penh's hill', taking its name frpm Wat Phnom or 'the hill temple'. Folklore speaks of the year 1372 and a koki tree floating down the Tonle Sap river. A wealthy woman, the money left to her by her late husband, spotted this tree and inside found four bronze statues of Buddha and a single statue to Vishnu in stone. She ordered the villagers to use the wood from the koki tree to build a templee housing the four Buddhas on the summit, with a shrine for the image of Vishnu just below on the slope. Penh's Hill is not immediately apparent, being just 90 feet high. Yet this is not the city's official name but should correctly be Krong Chaktomuk Mongkoi Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Sereythor Inhabot Roth Reach Seima Maha Nokor. Named King Ponhea Yat and meaning 'the place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom', this is usually abbreviated as Krong Chaktomok or 'the city of four faces'.
Battambang is another name to derive from legendary sources. Here the name means 'loss of staff' and comes from the tale of Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung, where a farmer became king - Preah Bat Dambang Kranhoung means 'king of Kranhoung stick'. Said stick was carried by the farmer when he fought alongside Khmer soldiers to liberate this Siam-occupied territory. It was because of his heroic actions he was nominated as king but soon found himself deposed by a younger man. He threw the now sacred black stick at the usurper but its powers were no more and the farmer lost both the stick and his throne.
Siem Reap has similar beginnings to Battambang. Here the name translates as 'Siam defeated', itself likely suggested by the earlier name under Siamese rule when Siemmarat meant 'Siam's territory'.
Sihanoukville is the westernised version of a city officially known as Krong Preah Sihanouk or 'city of the holy Sihanouk'.. King Norodom Sihanouk reigned 1941-1955 and 1993-2004, hailed as father of modern Cambodia and whose name is derived from Sanskrit siha hanu 'lion jaws'.
Prey Veng literally translates as 'long forest', although the trees had disappeared by the 1980s, cleared to provide more land for agriculture.
Kampong Cham can be split into two distinct parts. Kampong speaks of its location and means 'at the side of the water', while Cham refers to the collection of independent regions found along this coastline from at least the 7th century right up to 1832.
Krong Ta Khmau translates as 'black grandfather'.
Pursat is named after a kind of tree found locally, the name also found for both the region and the river draining this area.
Kampong Speu is literally 'the port of the starfruit', a tree found in this region. Note while speu is the Khmer word for 'starfruit', the area is know for its sugar and wine production.
Takeo translates as 'crystal grandfather' and is a name applied to both a city and a province.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 15 November 2015
Etymologies and Homonyms (again)
Whilst I am always interested in learning new words, it is the never so much the meaning as the origins which intrigue me. A couple of years ago I looked at homonyms, a word with two meanings and I looked at the etymologies of these words. Were there two completely different origins and the identical spelling is pure coincidence or has the word simply been used to mean two different things?
Here are another selection and, having done ABC before, now continue with a selection of others:
Dear can be used as a noun to mean ''beloved' and as a verb to mean 'expensive'. In both cases this is from the Old English deore and if defined as 'precious' can also be used in both senses.
Deck can be used to mean 'adorn' and also to refer to a part of a ship. Both are derived from Middle Dutch dekken meaning 'to cover' and, once again, appropriate to both senses. Note the use referring to a pack of cards is first seen in the late 16th century, thought to liken the stacked cards as the decks of a ship. Later use as a tape deck, coined around 1949, describes the flat surface required to ensure smooth passage of the recording tape from one reel to another.
Down is also used to describe soft feathers as well as the opposite of up. These have to quite different origins, albeit from similar words. Old English dun meant 'hill', still seen in the similar modern word 'dune', today only used to refer to sand features. We also find Old Scandinavian dunn referring to 'soft feathers', this derived from Proto-Indo-European dheu which referred to 'to fly (like dust)' or 'rising cloud'.
Duck is found in its earliest form as a verb. Germanic languages feature intermediate forms - Old High German tuhhan, German tauchen, Old Frisian duka, Middle Dutch duken, and Dutch duiken - are come from Proto-Germanic dukjan or 'to plunge or dive'. As a noun it is easy to see how dabbling is why the waterfowl earned this name. Furthermore because the females greatly outnumber the males, this is why the females are known generically as 'ducks' while males are specifically 'drakes'. The use of 'duck' as a noun is a late addition to Old English, Saxons used the term ened from Proto-Indo-European aneti.
Even can be used to mean 'alike' as well as 'equal'. The latter is from Old English efnan with the former from the similar efen. Both undoubtedly have the same root, although when the two meanings first came about has never been identified and by the same token we have no idea which use came first.
Exact is most often used as an adjective meaning 'precise'. This is from the Latin exactus, with the same meaning, itself the past participle of exigere which means 'demand, enforce' and is also how the word 'exact' is used as a verb. In English the 'demand' meaning is much older than the more common modern use of 'precise'.
Fawn is most often used to refer to the young of the deer and, as with the previous example, is of later origin than the verb. The young deer came to English from Old French feon which originally meant 'young animal' rather than specifically 'young deer', indeed the former was in popular use until at least the 15th century in England, too. This ultimately shares an origin with 'foetus', the Latin fetus meaning 'bringing forth' as well as 'offspring'. When it comes to the verb meaning 'grovel', this began as Old English faegnian or 'rejoice, applaud'. Later Middle English used 'fawn' as an expression of great pleasure and delight, in particular we find it used most often in reference to a dog wagging its tail.
File can be used to refer to the tool or the act of using said tool to smooth or abrade, particularly in metalwork. In this sense Old English feol comes from Proto-Germanic fihalo 'cutting tool' and Proto-Indo-European peig 'to mark by cutting, an incision'. Interestingly a couple of Eastern European languages have also evolved this root to mean 'paint', presumably both are linked in the sense of the piece being improved upon by work done on it. Talking about a file in the office sense (computer terminology simply borrowing this usage), has a strange etymology indeed. First seen in the early 16th century, this is from the Old French file meaning 'a row' and still used in English in this sense. The link from 'a row' to 'documentation' is through the original filing being done by stringing the documents on a cord or wire. This is reason we so often hear administrative excuses telling us something is either 'on file' or, more often, 'not on file'.
Fine has three uses: as an adjective meaning 'pure, refined'; to describe something as 'delicate'; and as a verb meaning 'penalise'. The first example is from Old French fin 'perfected', itself sharing a root with 'finish' and the French word finis. In Modern French the word continues to be used in the second sense of 'delicate', and came to English in a general sense around 1300 when used to express approval, this is why we use expressions such as 'fine figure' and 'fine arts'. When it comes to third meaning, this is also Old French where fin was used to mean 'limit, death, boundary' as well as in the sense 'fee, payment, finance, money', the different uses probably beginning as when a debt became due, ie the period of credit had come to an end.
Fire could well be one of the earliest words ever spoken, or at least one of the earliest ever described. Clearly that original sense referred to flame and, while we will never know what language was first spoken, we do know a reasonable amount of Proto-Indo-European, the root of most European and related languages. This ancient tongue appears to have to quite different roots for 'fire': this seen in paewr which should be seen as 'inanimate' and probably best seen as the chemical process and thus the process of burning; and also from egni, the origin of 'ignite' and used in the sense of 'animate', ie the living flame. Fascinatingly the latter 'animated' use is also seen in viewing water as a 'living force' both etymologically as well as elementally. When used to mean use of a gun, this undoubtedly refers to the flame associated with early musketry and although we use 'fire' with archery today, this is a modern term and Saxon archers would have said 'shoot'. The ejection of the projectile in guns, muskets and canon is undoubtedly the reason for using fire to mean 'dismissal', this not seen before 1885.
Flat has three uses today. The earliest, and most obvious, came to English from Proto-Germanic flata which meant 'shallow' as well as 'flat'. It is worth noting that while today we would see 'flat' as meaning 'having no significant rises', the original sense was 'having no significant dips'. The use of 'flat' to refer to a property on a single storey began some two centuries ago in Scotland and originally described (quite sensibly) what we would today see as a bungalow. It is derived from a source meaning 'ground, floor' and ultimately used to refer to 'level ground near water'. In a musical sense it is first seen in the late 16th century, this originally being used to mean 'dull, featureless, lacking contrast' - we still speak of 'featureless' when looking across a flat landscape. Around the same time, indeed within ten years either side, we find 'flat' used in the context of 'unexciting' and also in reference to drink being flat.
Fold is used as a noun to refer to an enclosure for animals, this from a Germanic root and brought to England by the Saxons with falud. While evolution of the word is uncertain, it is interesting to note the Dutch vaalt and East Frisian folt have the same origins but have come to mean 'dunghill'. As a verb the history is much clearer. Distributed across the northern hemisphere and seen in Albanian pale, Greek ploos, Latin plus, and Sanskrit putah, while also evolving in some languages to mean 'a joint'.
Here are another selection and, having done ABC before, now continue with a selection of others:
Dear can be used as a noun to mean ''beloved' and as a verb to mean 'expensive'. In both cases this is from the Old English deore and if defined as 'precious' can also be used in both senses.
Deck can be used to mean 'adorn' and also to refer to a part of a ship. Both are derived from Middle Dutch dekken meaning 'to cover' and, once again, appropriate to both senses. Note the use referring to a pack of cards is first seen in the late 16th century, thought to liken the stacked cards as the decks of a ship. Later use as a tape deck, coined around 1949, describes the flat surface required to ensure smooth passage of the recording tape from one reel to another.
Down is also used to describe soft feathers as well as the opposite of up. These have to quite different origins, albeit from similar words. Old English dun meant 'hill', still seen in the similar modern word 'dune', today only used to refer to sand features. We also find Old Scandinavian dunn referring to 'soft feathers', this derived from Proto-Indo-European dheu which referred to 'to fly (like dust)' or 'rising cloud'.
Duck is found in its earliest form as a verb. Germanic languages feature intermediate forms - Old High German tuhhan, German tauchen, Old Frisian duka, Middle Dutch duken, and Dutch duiken - are come from Proto-Germanic dukjan or 'to plunge or dive'. As a noun it is easy to see how dabbling is why the waterfowl earned this name. Furthermore because the females greatly outnumber the males, this is why the females are known generically as 'ducks' while males are specifically 'drakes'. The use of 'duck' as a noun is a late addition to Old English, Saxons used the term ened from Proto-Indo-European aneti.
Even can be used to mean 'alike' as well as 'equal'. The latter is from Old English efnan with the former from the similar efen. Both undoubtedly have the same root, although when the two meanings first came about has never been identified and by the same token we have no idea which use came first.
Exact is most often used as an adjective meaning 'precise'. This is from the Latin exactus, with the same meaning, itself the past participle of exigere which means 'demand, enforce' and is also how the word 'exact' is used as a verb. In English the 'demand' meaning is much older than the more common modern use of 'precise'.
Fawn is most often used to refer to the young of the deer and, as with the previous example, is of later origin than the verb. The young deer came to English from Old French feon which originally meant 'young animal' rather than specifically 'young deer', indeed the former was in popular use until at least the 15th century in England, too. This ultimately shares an origin with 'foetus', the Latin fetus meaning 'bringing forth' as well as 'offspring'. When it comes to the verb meaning 'grovel', this began as Old English faegnian or 'rejoice, applaud'. Later Middle English used 'fawn' as an expression of great pleasure and delight, in particular we find it used most often in reference to a dog wagging its tail.
File can be used to refer to the tool or the act of using said tool to smooth or abrade, particularly in metalwork. In this sense Old English feol comes from Proto-Germanic fihalo 'cutting tool' and Proto-Indo-European peig 'to mark by cutting, an incision'. Interestingly a couple of Eastern European languages have also evolved this root to mean 'paint', presumably both are linked in the sense of the piece being improved upon by work done on it. Talking about a file in the office sense (computer terminology simply borrowing this usage), has a strange etymology indeed. First seen in the early 16th century, this is from the Old French file meaning 'a row' and still used in English in this sense. The link from 'a row' to 'documentation' is through the original filing being done by stringing the documents on a cord or wire. This is reason we so often hear administrative excuses telling us something is either 'on file' or, more often, 'not on file'.
Fine has three uses: as an adjective meaning 'pure, refined'; to describe something as 'delicate'; and as a verb meaning 'penalise'. The first example is from Old French fin 'perfected', itself sharing a root with 'finish' and the French word finis. In Modern French the word continues to be used in the second sense of 'delicate', and came to English in a general sense around 1300 when used to express approval, this is why we use expressions such as 'fine figure' and 'fine arts'. When it comes to third meaning, this is also Old French where fin was used to mean 'limit, death, boundary' as well as in the sense 'fee, payment, finance, money', the different uses probably beginning as when a debt became due, ie the period of credit had come to an end.
Fire could well be one of the earliest words ever spoken, or at least one of the earliest ever described. Clearly that original sense referred to flame and, while we will never know what language was first spoken, we do know a reasonable amount of Proto-Indo-European, the root of most European and related languages. This ancient tongue appears to have to quite different roots for 'fire': this seen in paewr which should be seen as 'inanimate' and probably best seen as the chemical process and thus the process of burning; and also from egni, the origin of 'ignite' and used in the sense of 'animate', ie the living flame. Fascinatingly the latter 'animated' use is also seen in viewing water as a 'living force' both etymologically as well as elementally. When used to mean use of a gun, this undoubtedly refers to the flame associated with early musketry and although we use 'fire' with archery today, this is a modern term and Saxon archers would have said 'shoot'. The ejection of the projectile in guns, muskets and canon is undoubtedly the reason for using fire to mean 'dismissal', this not seen before 1885.
Flat has three uses today. The earliest, and most obvious, came to English from Proto-Germanic flata which meant 'shallow' as well as 'flat'. It is worth noting that while today we would see 'flat' as meaning 'having no significant rises', the original sense was 'having no significant dips'. The use of 'flat' to refer to a property on a single storey began some two centuries ago in Scotland and originally described (quite sensibly) what we would today see as a bungalow. It is derived from a source meaning 'ground, floor' and ultimately used to refer to 'level ground near water'. In a musical sense it is first seen in the late 16th century, this originally being used to mean 'dull, featureless, lacking contrast' - we still speak of 'featureless' when looking across a flat landscape. Around the same time, indeed within ten years either side, we find 'flat' used in the context of 'unexciting' and also in reference to drink being flat.
Fold is used as a noun to refer to an enclosure for animals, this from a Germanic root and brought to England by the Saxons with falud. While evolution of the word is uncertain, it is interesting to note the Dutch vaalt and East Frisian folt have the same origins but have come to mean 'dunghill'. As a verb the history is much clearer. Distributed across the northern hemisphere and seen in Albanian pale, Greek ploos, Latin plus, and Sanskrit putah, while also evolving in some languages to mean 'a joint'.
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Burkina Faso and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Burkina Faso and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Ouagadougou is not only the capital but, albeit predicably, the largest city. The modern form of the name is a French version of the original, from the 15th century, when Ninsi tribes in the area were forever battling for supremity until, in 1441, victory by the Yonyonse tribe under Wubri. He renamed Kumbee-Tenga as Wage sabre soba koumbem tenga or 'the village of the head war chief'.
Bobo-Dioulasso could almost be considered of artificial origins, certainly this is not of much help in understanding the name as it simply represents the name coined by French colonists to mean 'home of the Bobo-Dioula'.
Ouahigouya was founded in 1757 as the capital of the Yatenga Kingdom, this reflected in its name meaning 'come and prostrate yourselves' - a most unusual invitation and one where I can think of at least a dozen reasons for politely declining.
Fada N'gourma is another Burkina Faso place name with a most unusual and uninspiring meaning. Here the name is from the Hausa tongue and refers to 'the place where one pays the tax'.
Tenkodogo is traditionally held to have been founded by Ouedraogo, son of the Ghanaian princess Yennenga, and named from tenga kodogo with the simplistic meaning of 'the old land'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Ouagadougou is not only the capital but, albeit predicably, the largest city. The modern form of the name is a French version of the original, from the 15th century, when Ninsi tribes in the area were forever battling for supremity until, in 1441, victory by the Yonyonse tribe under Wubri. He renamed Kumbee-Tenga as Wage sabre soba koumbem tenga or 'the village of the head war chief'.
Bobo-Dioulasso could almost be considered of artificial origins, certainly this is not of much help in understanding the name as it simply represents the name coined by French colonists to mean 'home of the Bobo-Dioula'.
Ouahigouya was founded in 1757 as the capital of the Yatenga Kingdom, this reflected in its name meaning 'come and prostrate yourselves' - a most unusual invitation and one where I can think of at least a dozen reasons for politely declining.
Fada N'gourma is another Burkina Faso place name with a most unusual and uninspiring meaning. Here the name is from the Hausa tongue and refers to 'the place where one pays the tax'.
Tenkodogo is traditionally held to have been founded by Ouedraogo, son of the Ghanaian princess Yennenga, and named from tenga kodogo with the simplistic meaning of 'the old land'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Yes it's me on your Television
Follow the link to this CrowdFunding
Any authors, publishers, poets, editors, et al out there who would like to come to Tamworth and take part in any of our future events just drop us a line, we are always glad to hear from you.
Thank you for your time and your help!
Any authors, publishers, poets, editors, et al out there who would like to come to Tamworth and take part in any of our future events just drop us a line, we are always glad to hear from you.
Thank you for your time and your help!
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Bulgaria and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Bulgaria and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital city.
Sofia had always been known as Serdi, a Thracian tribe who may have had Celtic origins. Under Roman rule this became Ulpia Serdica, again we see the earlier name but here with the addition of the emperor Marcus Ulpia Traianus - ulpia a deriviative of the Latin for 'wolf'. The modern name comes from Saint Sofia Church and ultimately from the Egyptian Kemetic word for 'star, door, teaching, wisdom' depending upon its context.
Plovdiv has also been known by many names throughout its history. The earliest a Thracian settlement named Eumolpias and named after the mythological figure held to be the son of Poseidon. When Philip II of Macedon conquered the city he renamed it Philippoupolis. Under Roman rule it became Trimontium or 'three hills'. The modern name is from the Slavic version of the Greek name, recorded as Poldin, Plopdiv and Ploudin.
Varna was first recorded in the 6th century, a name likely of Varangian origin. A tribe of northwestern European origin, this may be related to Swedish varn 'shield' or, if older, from Proto-Indo-European we-r 'water'.
Burgas shares an origin with the many 'burgs' across the European nations. Here the name is probably from Latin burgos 'tower', this supported by the Greek name of Pyrgos with the same meaning.
Ruse is traditionally held to be the founder of the city, a woman named Rusa whose name meant 'blond hair'. More likely this comes from the fortification founded here in the 14th century, this either from the root ru 'river' and describing its location or rous meaning 'red' and referring to the colour of its stone.
Stara Zagora is from the Slavic star meaning 'old' preceding the place name of Zagore, itself from the same tongue and meaning 'beyond the mountains'.
Pleven has two possible origins. Both are Slavic words: either this is plevnya 'barn' or plevel 'weed'.
Silven is also of Slavic origin and another name with a watery meaning, this being from silv 'pour' or more likely 'confluence'.
Dobrich is named after the 14th century Dobrotitsa, his name from the Slavic dobr meaning 'good'.
Shumen is unrecorded prior to 1153 when it appears as Simeonis. This is from the Bulgarian shuma and refers to the 'deciduous forest'.
Pernik is held to be a reminder of the Slavic god of thunder and lightning, one Perun. Alternatively this may recall a member of the local nobility by the name of Perin, he known as a boyar or 'of noble men'.
Haskovo is often said to be from the Arabic has meaning 'possession' and for obvious reasons. However there is also the Turkish has meaning 'clean', both equally plausible.
Pazardzhik is a combination of the Persian bazar 'market' and Turkic cik 'small'.
Blagoevgrad is a modern name, it from the Slavic grad 'city' and one Dimitar Blagoev, founder of the Bulgarian Socialist Party whose name translates as 'gentle, kind'.
Veliko Tarnovo is traditionally said to come from the Old Bulgarian for 'thorny' with the suffix grad or 'city'. The prefix is Bulgarian for 'great' and adopted in 1965 to show the city's former status as the nation's capital.
Vratsa takes the name of the nearby Vratsa Pass, itself from the Slavic word vrata or 'gate' with the addition of itsa meaning 'little'. Note for the ancients a 'gate' was the gap allowing access, while today a 'gate' is seen as something which bars access.
Gabrovo legend states this was named by its founder, a blacksmith named Racho. Near his forge grew a hornbeam, the tree known as gabar in the Slavic tongue.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sofia had always been known as Serdi, a Thracian tribe who may have had Celtic origins. Under Roman rule this became Ulpia Serdica, again we see the earlier name but here with the addition of the emperor Marcus Ulpia Traianus - ulpia a deriviative of the Latin for 'wolf'. The modern name comes from Saint Sofia Church and ultimately from the Egyptian Kemetic word for 'star, door, teaching, wisdom' depending upon its context.
Plovdiv has also been known by many names throughout its history. The earliest a Thracian settlement named Eumolpias and named after the mythological figure held to be the son of Poseidon. When Philip II of Macedon conquered the city he renamed it Philippoupolis. Under Roman rule it became Trimontium or 'three hills'. The modern name is from the Slavic version of the Greek name, recorded as Poldin, Plopdiv and Ploudin.
Varna was first recorded in the 6th century, a name likely of Varangian origin. A tribe of northwestern European origin, this may be related to Swedish varn 'shield' or, if older, from Proto-Indo-European we-r 'water'.
Burgas shares an origin with the many 'burgs' across the European nations. Here the name is probably from Latin burgos 'tower', this supported by the Greek name of Pyrgos with the same meaning.
Ruse is traditionally held to be the founder of the city, a woman named Rusa whose name meant 'blond hair'. More likely this comes from the fortification founded here in the 14th century, this either from the root ru 'river' and describing its location or rous meaning 'red' and referring to the colour of its stone.
Stara Zagora is from the Slavic star meaning 'old' preceding the place name of Zagore, itself from the same tongue and meaning 'beyond the mountains'.
Pleven has two possible origins. Both are Slavic words: either this is plevnya 'barn' or plevel 'weed'.
Silven is also of Slavic origin and another name with a watery meaning, this being from silv 'pour' or more likely 'confluence'.
Dobrich is named after the 14th century Dobrotitsa, his name from the Slavic dobr meaning 'good'.
Shumen is unrecorded prior to 1153 when it appears as Simeonis. This is from the Bulgarian shuma and refers to the 'deciduous forest'.
Pernik is held to be a reminder of the Slavic god of thunder and lightning, one Perun. Alternatively this may recall a member of the local nobility by the name of Perin, he known as a boyar or 'of noble men'.
Haskovo is often said to be from the Arabic has meaning 'possession' and for obvious reasons. However there is also the Turkish has meaning 'clean', both equally plausible.
Pazardzhik is a combination of the Persian bazar 'market' and Turkic cik 'small'.
Blagoevgrad is a modern name, it from the Slavic grad 'city' and one Dimitar Blagoev, founder of the Bulgarian Socialist Party whose name translates as 'gentle, kind'.
Veliko Tarnovo is traditionally said to come from the Old Bulgarian for 'thorny' with the suffix grad or 'city'. The prefix is Bulgarian for 'great' and adopted in 1965 to show the city's former status as the nation's capital.
Vratsa takes the name of the nearby Vratsa Pass, itself from the Slavic word vrata or 'gate' with the addition of itsa meaning 'little'. Note for the ancients a 'gate' was the gap allowing access, while today a 'gate' is seen as something which bars access.
Gabrovo legend states this was named by its founder, a blacksmith named Racho. Near his forge grew a hornbeam, the tree known as gabar in the Slavic tongue.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Brunei and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Brunei and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Bandar Seri Bagawan was known in English as Bandar Brunei or Brunei Town. At the abdication of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III in 1967, his eldest son Hassanal Bolkiah succeeded him and later renamed the city Begawan to honour his father as it was used to mean 'abdicated' when referring to former monarchs, it coming from the Sanskrit word for 'god'. It should also be noted that Seri Begawan means 'blessed one', the Sanskrit seri easily seen as related to the honorific sri. The word bandar has come down from the Persian tongue and originally meant 'harbour, port, haven', and is also found in Malay where it means 'town, city'.
Sengkurong is traditionally said to be 'the people of Kurong'. This is supported by the Bengkurong meaning 'the Kurong River'. Both seem to suggest this area was once known as Kurong, although there are no surviving records to support this. However it would make sense as kurong also means 'enclosed' and the meandering river could easily be said to have enclosed an area, particularly during times of flood.
Sungai Nagalang is a river named from the Murut galang or 'circular bracelet' and a description of its meandering course.
Sungair Peliunan is a second river, again describing its course in lium or 'to circle around'.
Sungai Batu Apoi is a third river name, this time named for a local feature and meaning 'fiery rock'. Unlike the previous two the rock is no longer visible, for traditional tells of how this rock, it making the whole area quite uninhabitable, was encountered by a great hero. He took one look at the offending rock and, with his great strength, launched it into the sea thus making the area perfect for the village.
Tutong has many explanations, most often said to be the word for 'turtle'.
Bukit Ambok is a hill near the town of Tutong. While the true origin is uncertain, there are two conflicting suggestions as to its origin. Either this represents ambok from Malay and thus understood as 'monkey hill', or is from a fruit known as 'cat's eyes' growing on the ambug trees which once dominated this hill.
Lamunin refers to fauna not flora. This is from lat munin or 'fox hill'.
Merimbun has two conflicting but equally interesting explanations. It is said a man named Imbun had been hunting when he stumbled upon the place. Finding the forest alive with game and the lake teeming with fish he decided to bring his family here to settle permanently. When others of his village followed, they named it to honour the man who had made their lives so much easier. The second also suggests Merimbun had been named after an individual, this time the story involves a trader from China who brought so much prosperity they named it after him, his name being Eng Boon.
Bukit Udal also speaks of an early event giving it a name. Folklore speaks of a great flood, the rising waters forcing men, women and children to seek higher ground. Naturally the animals, birds and insects did the same to wait it out. However so many mouths crowded in a small area soon meant there was nothing left to eat, all the vegetation had been stripped and giving it its name of 'bald hill'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Bandar Seri Bagawan was known in English as Bandar Brunei or Brunei Town. At the abdication of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III in 1967, his eldest son Hassanal Bolkiah succeeded him and later renamed the city Begawan to honour his father as it was used to mean 'abdicated' when referring to former monarchs, it coming from the Sanskrit word for 'god'. It should also be noted that Seri Begawan means 'blessed one', the Sanskrit seri easily seen as related to the honorific sri. The word bandar has come down from the Persian tongue and originally meant 'harbour, port, haven', and is also found in Malay where it means 'town, city'.
Sengkurong is traditionally said to be 'the people of Kurong'. This is supported by the Bengkurong meaning 'the Kurong River'. Both seem to suggest this area was once known as Kurong, although there are no surviving records to support this. However it would make sense as kurong also means 'enclosed' and the meandering river could easily be said to have enclosed an area, particularly during times of flood.
Sungai Nagalang is a river named from the Murut galang or 'circular bracelet' and a description of its meandering course.
Sungair Peliunan is a second river, again describing its course in lium or 'to circle around'.
Sungai Batu Apoi is a third river name, this time named for a local feature and meaning 'fiery rock'. Unlike the previous two the rock is no longer visible, for traditional tells of how this rock, it making the whole area quite uninhabitable, was encountered by a great hero. He took one look at the offending rock and, with his great strength, launched it into the sea thus making the area perfect for the village.
Tutong has many explanations, most often said to be the word for 'turtle'.
Bukit Ambok is a hill near the town of Tutong. While the true origin is uncertain, there are two conflicting suggestions as to its origin. Either this represents ambok from Malay and thus understood as 'monkey hill', or is from a fruit known as 'cat's eyes' growing on the ambug trees which once dominated this hill.
Lamunin refers to fauna not flora. This is from lat munin or 'fox hill'.
Merimbun has two conflicting but equally interesting explanations. It is said a man named Imbun had been hunting when he stumbled upon the place. Finding the forest alive with game and the lake teeming with fish he decided to bring his family here to settle permanently. When others of his village followed, they named it to honour the man who had made their lives so much easier. The second also suggests Merimbun had been named after an individual, this time the story involves a trader from China who brought so much prosperity they named it after him, his name being Eng Boon.
Bukit Udal also speaks of an early event giving it a name. Folklore speaks of a great flood, the rising waters forcing men, women and children to seek higher ground. Naturally the animals, birds and insects did the same to wait it out. However so many mouths crowded in a small area soon meant there was nothing left to eat, all the vegetation had been stripped and giving it its name of 'bald hill'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 18 October 2015
Brazil Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Brazil and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Brasilia has a population of just over two million, making it the fourth largest in the country. It was a planned city dating from the 1950s and clearly named from the country, the latter from the tree brazilwood which once proliferated along the Atlantic coast. This is from the Latin brasa il meaning 'red like an ember', a reference to the deep red dye obtained from these trees.
Rio de Janeiro is the best known place in the country but is neither the capital and is only the second-largest city. Originally known as Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro to honour St Sebastian, the patron of the then Portuguese monarch, with the addition from the river on which it stands, both can be defined as 'January river'.
Sao Paulo is by far the largest city in the country, unsurprisingly the Portuguese for 'Saint Paul',
Salvador is an abbreviation of the original name Sao Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos or 'Holy Saviour of the Bay of All Saints'.
Fortazela is the Portuguese word for 'fortress', not the original name but coined when settlement began in 1603 and the fort constructed under the orders of Pero Coelho de Souza. That fort was named Fort of Sao Tiago and the settlement initially known as Nova Lisboa 'New Lisbon'.
Belo Horizonte is another Portuguese name, delightfully referring to the 'beautiful horizon'. This name was coined in 1906, there having been several names since the initial period of settlement in 1701, and named during a period of extensive industrialisation.
Manaus is after the people indigenous to this region, the Manaos. When first elevated to city status in 1832, it became known as Cidade de Barra do Rio Negro or 'the city of the margins of the black river' but reverted to its present name in 1848.
Curitiba is said to come from the Tupi kuri tyba or 'many pine seeds', this attributed to the numerous pine cones found in the area when Europeans first landed, these from the Parana pines native to the region. Alternatively the same Tupi tongue may be interpreted as kurit yba or 'a lot of pine trees'.
Recife is first recorded as a small port - a collection of shacks, inns and warehousing - and described as arrecife dos navios 'the reef of ships'. Today the recife or 'reef' running parallel to the shore forms a natural harbour. However this is not the coral reef often said to be here, this reef is a beach from pre-history which has now solidified into stone.
Porto Alegre is simply Portuguese for 'the joyful harbour'.
Belem is the Portuguese word for 'Bethlehem'.
Goiania is a planned city and named in 1933 following a contest held by the local newspaper. Suggestions included Petronia, Americana, Petrolandia, Goianopolis, Bartolomeu Bueno, Campanha, Eldorado, Anhanguera, Liberdade, Patria Nova, Goianopolis as well as Goiania. This is based on the state and city name of Goias, itself from the indigenous people whose name seems to come from gua e ia, literally 'the same person' but understood as 'people of the same origin'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Brasilia has a population of just over two million, making it the fourth largest in the country. It was a planned city dating from the 1950s and clearly named from the country, the latter from the tree brazilwood which once proliferated along the Atlantic coast. This is from the Latin brasa il meaning 'red like an ember', a reference to the deep red dye obtained from these trees.
Rio de Janeiro is the best known place in the country but is neither the capital and is only the second-largest city. Originally known as Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro to honour St Sebastian, the patron of the then Portuguese monarch, with the addition from the river on which it stands, both can be defined as 'January river'.
Sao Paulo is by far the largest city in the country, unsurprisingly the Portuguese for 'Saint Paul',
Salvador is an abbreviation of the original name Sao Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos or 'Holy Saviour of the Bay of All Saints'.
Fortazela is the Portuguese word for 'fortress', not the original name but coined when settlement began in 1603 and the fort constructed under the orders of Pero Coelho de Souza. That fort was named Fort of Sao Tiago and the settlement initially known as Nova Lisboa 'New Lisbon'.
Belo Horizonte is another Portuguese name, delightfully referring to the 'beautiful horizon'. This name was coined in 1906, there having been several names since the initial period of settlement in 1701, and named during a period of extensive industrialisation.
Manaus is after the people indigenous to this region, the Manaos. When first elevated to city status in 1832, it became known as Cidade de Barra do Rio Negro or 'the city of the margins of the black river' but reverted to its present name in 1848.
Curitiba is said to come from the Tupi kuri tyba or 'many pine seeds', this attributed to the numerous pine cones found in the area when Europeans first landed, these from the Parana pines native to the region. Alternatively the same Tupi tongue may be interpreted as kurit yba or 'a lot of pine trees'.
Recife is first recorded as a small port - a collection of shacks, inns and warehousing - and described as arrecife dos navios 'the reef of ships'. Today the recife or 'reef' running parallel to the shore forms a natural harbour. However this is not the coral reef often said to be here, this reef is a beach from pre-history which has now solidified into stone.
Porto Alegre is simply Portuguese for 'the joyful harbour'.
Belem is the Portuguese word for 'Bethlehem'.
Goiania is a planned city and named in 1933 following a contest held by the local newspaper. Suggestions included Petronia, Americana, Petrolandia, Goianopolis, Bartolomeu Bueno, Campanha, Eldorado, Anhanguera, Liberdade, Patria Nova, Goianopolis as well as Goiania. This is based on the state and city name of Goias, itself from the indigenous people whose name seems to come from gua e ia, literally 'the same person' but understood as 'people of the same origin'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 11 October 2015
Botswana Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Botswana and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Gaborone quite literally speaks of ‘it does not fit badly’, although some interpret it as ‘it is not unbecoming’, both of which sound very much back-handed compliments to me. This is from Chief Gaborone of the BaTlokwa, this village now called Tlokweng.
Francistown is clearly named after someone named ‘Francis’. That someone being Daniel Francis, a prospector from Liverpool in England who obtained mining licenses for this area and ostensibly founded Botwana’s second largest settlement in 1869.
Molepolole claims to be one of the largest traditional villages on the African continent, with a population nearing 70,000. It is named after the Molepolole river, the meaning of which is uncertain but probably simplistic and referring to the wetland.
Maun is a similar name and one where the origins are known. This is from maung, a Seyei word meaning ‘place of the river reeds’.
Lensweletau is a name referring to this as ‘the lion at the rocky hill’.
Molpowabojang is not only a place name but the river name, hence this is why the name means ‘river grass’
Seleka is the Sango word for ‘coalition’, a political alliance formed as recently as 2012.
Tsetsebjwe comes from the hill of the same name. Formerly known as Mokgojwe, from the local spring, it changed to its present name when a man called Tsetsebjwe died here when poachers from neighbouring South Africa were after game in the 19th century.
Hukuntsi means ‘many corners’ in the local tongue.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Gaborone quite literally speaks of ‘it does not fit badly’, although some interpret it as ‘it is not unbecoming’, both of which sound very much back-handed compliments to me. This is from Chief Gaborone of the BaTlokwa, this village now called Tlokweng.
Francistown is clearly named after someone named ‘Francis’. That someone being Daniel Francis, a prospector from Liverpool in England who obtained mining licenses for this area and ostensibly founded Botwana’s second largest settlement in 1869.
Molepolole claims to be one of the largest traditional villages on the African continent, with a population nearing 70,000. It is named after the Molepolole river, the meaning of which is uncertain but probably simplistic and referring to the wetland.
Maun is a similar name and one where the origins are known. This is from maung, a Seyei word meaning ‘place of the river reeds’.
Lensweletau is a name referring to this as ‘the lion at the rocky hill’.
Molpowabojang is not only a place name but the river name, hence this is why the name means ‘river grass’
Seleka is the Sango word for ‘coalition’, a political alliance formed as recently as 2012.
Tsetsebjwe comes from the hill of the same name. Formerly known as Mokgojwe, from the local spring, it changed to its present name when a man called Tsetsebjwe died here when poachers from neighbouring South Africa were after game in the 19th century.
Hukuntsi means ‘many corners’ in the local tongue.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 4 October 2015
Bosnia and Herzegovina Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Bosnia and Herzegovina and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names.
Sarajevo is the capital and by far the largest city. Its name comes from Turkish saray and a later Turkish loanword evo and together refer to 'the plains around the palace'. Thus we can infer the original place, and thus the name, referred solely to the palace, with the present form coming some centuries later.
Banja Luka is quite recent, at least as far as place names go, being first seen in a document dating from 1494. Traditionally this is defined as from ban luka or 'meadow of the dignitary' and yet without any indication of the location of the meadow or, more importantly, any hint as to the identity of the dignitary. The popularity of this definition has tended to overshadow more likely origins, including banja 'bath or spa' with luka 'port'; bajna luka 'the marvellous port'; or from Hungarian Lukacsbanya 'Luke's mine'. Note the locals spelling is as two words while generally the form is to give this as Banjaluci.
Tuzla is certainly linked to a mine, this for this is the Ottoman Turkish word specifically referring to a 'salt mine' and the extensive and valuable salt deposits found beneath the city.
Mostar is named after the mostari, the 'bridge keepers' who guarded the medieval bridge over the Neretva. Built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, it is arguably the nation's most recognizable landmarks.
Prnjavor is said to be of medieval origins when the monasteries here had landed properties known as Prnjavori. This subsequently gave the locals the name of Prnjavorci and the modern town became Prnjavor.
Tomislavgrad is quite literally 'Tomislav town' and known as such since 1928 when King Alexander I of Yugoslavia suggested this a fitting tribute to his son Prince Tomislav and King Tomislav of Croatia. Previously this had been Duvno, this making a comeback from the end of the Second World War until the 1990s and is still known as such by some locals. This original name, also seen as Duvnjaci, is a reference to the Duvniak people who once inhabited this region.
Siroki Brijeg is named after a topgraphical feature and means 'the wide hill', although locals tend to abbreviate it to simply Siroki 'the wide'. Briefly, from 1945 to 1990, this had been renamed after another local feature, the Listica river.
Modrica is thought to be named as it could be found near 'the small river with blue mountain water', this thought to be the Dusa.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sarajevo is the capital and by far the largest city. Its name comes from Turkish saray and a later Turkish loanword evo and together refer to 'the plains around the palace'. Thus we can infer the original place, and thus the name, referred solely to the palace, with the present form coming some centuries later.
Banja Luka is quite recent, at least as far as place names go, being first seen in a document dating from 1494. Traditionally this is defined as from ban luka or 'meadow of the dignitary' and yet without any indication of the location of the meadow or, more importantly, any hint as to the identity of the dignitary. The popularity of this definition has tended to overshadow more likely origins, including banja 'bath or spa' with luka 'port'; bajna luka 'the marvellous port'; or from Hungarian Lukacsbanya 'Luke's mine'. Note the locals spelling is as two words while generally the form is to give this as Banjaluci.
Tuzla is certainly linked to a mine, this for this is the Ottoman Turkish word specifically referring to a 'salt mine' and the extensive and valuable salt deposits found beneath the city.
Mostar is named after the mostari, the 'bridge keepers' who guarded the medieval bridge over the Neretva. Built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, it is arguably the nation's most recognizable landmarks.
Prnjavor is said to be of medieval origins when the monasteries here had landed properties known as Prnjavori. This subsequently gave the locals the name of Prnjavorci and the modern town became Prnjavor.
Tomislavgrad is quite literally 'Tomislav town' and known as such since 1928 when King Alexander I of Yugoslavia suggested this a fitting tribute to his son Prince Tomislav and King Tomislav of Croatia. Previously this had been Duvno, this making a comeback from the end of the Second World War until the 1990s and is still known as such by some locals. This original name, also seen as Duvnjaci, is a reference to the Duvniak people who once inhabited this region.
Siroki Brijeg is named after a topgraphical feature and means 'the wide hill', although locals tend to abbreviate it to simply Siroki 'the wide'. Briefly, from 1945 to 1990, this had been renamed after another local feature, the Listica river.
Modrica is thought to be named as it could be found near 'the small river with blue mountain water', this thought to be the Dusa.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 27 September 2015
Name of the Game
When giving a talk on the origins of pub names recently I invited questions from the audience for specific examples they would like to understand. It is something I do comparatively early as, and the same is true of my talks on place names, there are so many examples it is impossible to know which to specific names to cover - I learned a long time ago it is not good enough to prepare a list of local names, for the audience are more likely to ask about names out of the area.
I was asked for the origin of the pub name Fox & Goose. This has been corrupted for it was originally Fox & Geese, the change undoubtedly because signpainters insist on depicting this as the predator and its prey, when it is nothing of the kind. It is an advertisement, one telling potential customers there is a board game played within. Fox and geese is a variation on the classic and truly ancient game of strategy better known as Nine Men's Morris. An image of the game can be seen below, method of play I may well cover at a different time.
This made me think about other board games and the origins of these names. As a kid, assuming you are above a certain age, we all had the Compendium of Games for Christmas. This included the ubiquitous Ludo which, as any trivia buff will know, is named for the Latin for 'I play'. But what of the others, presumably these have some story to tell of their origins.
Nine Men's Morris seems the logical place to start, although the name is somewhat uncertain. The number is easy enough to see when we reveal there are also varieties known as Six Men's Morris and Twelve Men's Morris, with the 'men' also clearly why we often refer to pieces as such on a game board irrespective of the game. As already noted the game is ancient indeed, with evidence showing this was certainly played at least 3,500 years ago, and probably originated in the Middle East and thus the English name for the game is likely a corruption of 'Moorish'. Aside from the Fox and Geese name, it has also been called Mills, Merels, The Mill Game, Merrills, Merelles, Marelles, Morelles, Ninepenny Marl, Cowboy Checkers, and others.
Backgammon is known from at least the 13th century, and is thought to be 'back' because the oppoents are (hopefull) forced into turning back, while gamen is simply the Middle English origin of 'game'.
Chess came to English from Old French esches and was simply the name of the game, although the Modern French echec is used in the sense of 'check, blow, rebuff, defeat'. Originally the name is from Sanskrit, where chaturanga referred to 'four members of an army', these being elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers.
Checkers returns us to pub names again, where (in Britain) the name of the Chequers pointed out a board game similar to the modern version was played within. The name became popular as a pub name as it was soon used for a moneylender, something inn-keepers would often take up as a second string to their financial bow. Hence the name refers to the board. In Britain it is most often referred to as 'draughts', this thought to refer to the way pieces are 'dragged' across the board when making a move.
Mahjong was originally known in the Far East as maque meaning 'sparrow', although most often this is known as majiang among Mandarin-speaking Chinese today.
Parcheesi is a fairly recent introduction to English, which explains why it has changed so very little since adopted from the Hindi pachis meaning 'twenty-five' and the highest throw possible with the dice used. It seems likely the original name would still be in use were it not for the game being mass produced in 1892 and sold under the Parcheesi trademark.
Snakes and Ladders is also known as Chutes and Ladders in the USA, the American version down to the marketing of Milton Bradley who advertised it as "an improved version of England's famous indoor sport" - clearly Mr Bradley had no notion of British indoor sports! This came to Britain from India as a game intended to teach the benefits of virtue, being adapted for the British market but retaining the original snakes and ladders motifs. In India it was known as Moksha Patam, with moksha being the central concept of Hinduism and derived from the Sanskrit munc meaning 'free, release, let go, liberate' with patam meaning 'ladders'.
I was asked for the origin of the pub name Fox & Goose. This has been corrupted for it was originally Fox & Geese, the change undoubtedly because signpainters insist on depicting this as the predator and its prey, when it is nothing of the kind. It is an advertisement, one telling potential customers there is a board game played within. Fox and geese is a variation on the classic and truly ancient game of strategy better known as Nine Men's Morris. An image of the game can be seen below, method of play I may well cover at a different time.
This made me think about other board games and the origins of these names. As a kid, assuming you are above a certain age, we all had the Compendium of Games for Christmas. This included the ubiquitous Ludo which, as any trivia buff will know, is named for the Latin for 'I play'. But what of the others, presumably these have some story to tell of their origins.
Nine Men's Morris seems the logical place to start, although the name is somewhat uncertain. The number is easy enough to see when we reveal there are also varieties known as Six Men's Morris and Twelve Men's Morris, with the 'men' also clearly why we often refer to pieces as such on a game board irrespective of the game. As already noted the game is ancient indeed, with evidence showing this was certainly played at least 3,500 years ago, and probably originated in the Middle East and thus the English name for the game is likely a corruption of 'Moorish'. Aside from the Fox and Geese name, it has also been called Mills, Merels, The Mill Game, Merrills, Merelles, Marelles, Morelles, Ninepenny Marl, Cowboy Checkers, and others.
Backgammon is known from at least the 13th century, and is thought to be 'back' because the oppoents are (hopefull) forced into turning back, while gamen is simply the Middle English origin of 'game'.
Chess came to English from Old French esches and was simply the name of the game, although the Modern French echec is used in the sense of 'check, blow, rebuff, defeat'. Originally the name is from Sanskrit, where chaturanga referred to 'four members of an army', these being elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers.
Checkers returns us to pub names again, where (in Britain) the name of the Chequers pointed out a board game similar to the modern version was played within. The name became popular as a pub name as it was soon used for a moneylender, something inn-keepers would often take up as a second string to their financial bow. Hence the name refers to the board. In Britain it is most often referred to as 'draughts', this thought to refer to the way pieces are 'dragged' across the board when making a move.
Mahjong was originally known in the Far East as maque meaning 'sparrow', although most often this is known as majiang among Mandarin-speaking Chinese today.
Parcheesi is a fairly recent introduction to English, which explains why it has changed so very little since adopted from the Hindi pachis meaning 'twenty-five' and the highest throw possible with the dice used. It seems likely the original name would still be in use were it not for the game being mass produced in 1892 and sold under the Parcheesi trademark.
Snakes and Ladders is also known as Chutes and Ladders in the USA, the American version down to the marketing of Milton Bradley who advertised it as "an improved version of England's famous indoor sport" - clearly Mr Bradley had no notion of British indoor sports! This came to Britain from India as a game intended to teach the benefits of virtue, being adapted for the British market but retaining the original snakes and ladders motifs. In India it was known as Moksha Patam, with moksha being the central concept of Hinduism and derived from the Sanskrit munc meaning 'free, release, let go, liberate' with patam meaning 'ladders'.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Etymologies and Homonyms
Whilst I am always interested in learning new words, it is the never so much the meaning as the origins which intrigue me. Overhearing a conversation where one learned there were two meanings for one word made me think about the etymologies, the origins of the word. Were there two completely different origins and the identical spelling is pure coincidence or has the word simply been used to mean two different things?
I took a look at a number of examples and discovered the following:
Address: as a verb to mean 'to guide or direct', it came to English in the 14th century from Old French adrecier meaning 'straighten, set right' and from Latin addirectaire with the same meaning. When it comes to the noun and meaning 'dutiful or courteous approach' it is first seen in the 1530s and is derived from the verb. As a noun the sense of 'formal speech' dates from the 1750s and in referring to a place of residence is not known prior to 1888.
Arm: when referring to the upper limb the word can be traced back to Proto-Germanic armaz and Sanskrit irmah and has probably remained largely unchanged since the development of Proto-Indo-European. Note, however, the later change in languages such as Greek arthron 'a joint', Latin armus 'shoulder', and Armenian armukn 'elbow'. In the sense of 'a weapon' it can be traced to Proto-Indo-European ar 'fit, join' and eventually used as a verb.
Bank:as a financial institution dates from the 15th century and originated in the Italian banca meaning 'table', coming to English through Middle French banque with the same meaning. Whilst unrecorded this almost certainly came from the Germanic for a 'bench'. The second use is for the slope or a bank of earth. This certainly came to English from the Proto-Germanic bangkon meaning 'slope' and having a common origin with bankiz or 'shelf'. Hence the word, despite having two quite diverse uses, has the same source in the early European tongues but by coming to English through very different routes has two quite different meanings.
Bark: when referring to the sound made by a dog, is from Proto-Germanic berkan and simply imitative of the sound. When it comes to the noun describing the covering on the trunk of a tree, the term most likely came to English from Old Norse barkr and from Proto-Germanic barkuz and seem certain to be from the name of the birch tree.
Base: when used as a verb or noun to refer to a low point or foundation, it is surprisingly recent and not seen before the 14th century as a noun and in 1841 as a verb. Both are derived from Old French bas 'depth', Latin basis and Greek basis 'foundation, step'. Also used as an adjective meaning 'lowly', this has exactly the same origins.
Beam: in the modern sense would refer to rays of light and seen since the 15th century. (Smiles and radio transmissions being derived from the same source.) Also used today to refer to wooden beams used for construction purposes, this originally referred to the 'living tree' and ultimately comes from Proto-Indo-European bheue simply meaning 'to grow'.
Board: when referring to 'a plank' it can be traced to Proto-Germanic burdam and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bhrdh both with identical meaning and thus likely one of the earliest words coined. Interestingly there is also a Proto-Indo-European bherdh, almost the same word but used in the sense 'to cut', further evidence of this being among the first key words used by the people of the European continent. The word 'board' has a number of other meanings - including 'to get onto', 'food and lodging' - are both derived from the original 'plank' meaning. In the case of the 'food and lodging' meaning, this comes from the use of a 'board' as a table top, a board not fastened down but simply resting on the trestle below - one side polished and on which the food was served, the reverse scrubbed clean but left in its natural state on which the food was prepared.
Bolt: as a verb used, in a general sense, to mean 'move rapidly' in its various forms is seen from the 13th century and undoubtedly comes from the bolt or arrow used in a crossbow. The stout arrow known as a 'bolt' is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bheld or 'to knock or strike'.
Bow: when used to refer to the weapon used to fire an arrow comes from a Proto-Germanic bugon with the same meaning. The reference to a looped knot is seen from the middle of the 16th century and speaks of it being shaped like the weapon.
Box: the noun referring to the wooden container is probably from the Greek where pyxis refers to a box made from boxwood', while the Greek for 'the box tree' is pyxos. When it comes to 'box' being used in the sense of 'a blow' the origin is much later and completely unrelated. Traceable only as far as the 13th century, it can be found in the Middle Dutch boke and Middle High German buc, likely imitative of the sound.
Can: as the 1st and 3rd person singular of 'know', the origin of which is Proto-Indo-European gno, has its vowel change through influence from other early European languages such as Old Frisian kanna and Proto-Germanic kunnan.. In the sense of a 'container' the origins are uncertain but came to English from Proto-Germanic kanna and seen in Late Latin canna with the same meaning and early Latin canna 'reed pipe, boat'.
Cast: began as meaning 'to throw' and came from Old Norse kasta, every other usage came from here - including 'group of actors', 'an eye condition', 'turn', 'a shape from molten metal'.
Chip: in the sense 'piece of wood' can be traced to Proto-Indo-European keipo 'sharp post' and eventually came to mean 'small piece of wood' in Dutch kip and smiliar. The later use to mean 'that cut off' has clear connections and first seen in the early 15th century.
Clear: as a verb and as an adjective - be it to tidy, prove innocent, explain and a number of others - seen since the 13th century and new uses can be found up to the end of the 19th century. The many uses indicate several sources from other languages and there are a number of cases of influence from other languages where the meaning is somewhat different: Old French cler 'bright, shining', Latin clarus 'clear, loud', Italian chiaro and Spanish claro 'illustrious, famous, glorious'. All these can be traced to Proto-Indo-European kle meaning 'to shout'.
Club: used as a noun to mean 'a gathering, an association', is first known in a document from the early 17th century. In the late 13th century we first find the use as 'sizable stick used as a weapon', this from the Old Norse klubba meaning 'cudgel'. Note the suit in playing cards is unknown prior to the 17th century, earlier it being known by its Spanish or Italian names of basto and bastone respectively. By the 17th century the shape shown was that of the trefoil, Danish klover and Dutch klaver literally 'a club at cards' but clearly related to the English 'clover'.
Current: is first applied to the flow of electrical force in 1747, this obviously taken from the flow of water and derived from Old French corant meaning 'running, lively, eager, swift' and from Latin currere 'to run', itself from Proto-Indo-European kers 'to run'. It has been used to mean 'the present time' since around 1570 and should be seen as using 'running' in the same sense as when we speak of something currently being shown.
I took a look at a number of examples and discovered the following:
Address: as a verb to mean 'to guide or direct', it came to English in the 14th century from Old French adrecier meaning 'straighten, set right' and from Latin addirectaire with the same meaning. When it comes to the noun and meaning 'dutiful or courteous approach' it is first seen in the 1530s and is derived from the verb. As a noun the sense of 'formal speech' dates from the 1750s and in referring to a place of residence is not known prior to 1888.
Arm: when referring to the upper limb the word can be traced back to Proto-Germanic armaz and Sanskrit irmah and has probably remained largely unchanged since the development of Proto-Indo-European. Note, however, the later change in languages such as Greek arthron 'a joint', Latin armus 'shoulder', and Armenian armukn 'elbow'. In the sense of 'a weapon' it can be traced to Proto-Indo-European ar 'fit, join' and eventually used as a verb.
Bank:as a financial institution dates from the 15th century and originated in the Italian banca meaning 'table', coming to English through Middle French banque with the same meaning. Whilst unrecorded this almost certainly came from the Germanic for a 'bench'. The second use is for the slope or a bank of earth. This certainly came to English from the Proto-Germanic bangkon meaning 'slope' and having a common origin with bankiz or 'shelf'. Hence the word, despite having two quite diverse uses, has the same source in the early European tongues but by coming to English through very different routes has two quite different meanings.
Bark: when referring to the sound made by a dog, is from Proto-Germanic berkan and simply imitative of the sound. When it comes to the noun describing the covering on the trunk of a tree, the term most likely came to English from Old Norse barkr and from Proto-Germanic barkuz and seem certain to be from the name of the birch tree.
Base: when used as a verb or noun to refer to a low point or foundation, it is surprisingly recent and not seen before the 14th century as a noun and in 1841 as a verb. Both are derived from Old French bas 'depth', Latin basis and Greek basis 'foundation, step'. Also used as an adjective meaning 'lowly', this has exactly the same origins.
Beam: in the modern sense would refer to rays of light and seen since the 15th century. (Smiles and radio transmissions being derived from the same source.) Also used today to refer to wooden beams used for construction purposes, this originally referred to the 'living tree' and ultimately comes from Proto-Indo-European bheue simply meaning 'to grow'.
Board: when referring to 'a plank' it can be traced to Proto-Germanic burdam and ultimately Proto-Indo-European bhrdh both with identical meaning and thus likely one of the earliest words coined. Interestingly there is also a Proto-Indo-European bherdh, almost the same word but used in the sense 'to cut', further evidence of this being among the first key words used by the people of the European continent. The word 'board' has a number of other meanings - including 'to get onto', 'food and lodging' - are both derived from the original 'plank' meaning. In the case of the 'food and lodging' meaning, this comes from the use of a 'board' as a table top, a board not fastened down but simply resting on the trestle below - one side polished and on which the food was served, the reverse scrubbed clean but left in its natural state on which the food was prepared.
Bolt: as a verb used, in a general sense, to mean 'move rapidly' in its various forms is seen from the 13th century and undoubtedly comes from the bolt or arrow used in a crossbow. The stout arrow known as a 'bolt' is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bheld or 'to knock or strike'.
Bow: when used to refer to the weapon used to fire an arrow comes from a Proto-Germanic bugon with the same meaning. The reference to a looped knot is seen from the middle of the 16th century and speaks of it being shaped like the weapon.
Box: the noun referring to the wooden container is probably from the Greek where pyxis refers to a box made from boxwood', while the Greek for 'the box tree' is pyxos. When it comes to 'box' being used in the sense of 'a blow' the origin is much later and completely unrelated. Traceable only as far as the 13th century, it can be found in the Middle Dutch boke and Middle High German buc, likely imitative of the sound.
Can: as the 1st and 3rd person singular of 'know', the origin of which is Proto-Indo-European gno, has its vowel change through influence from other early European languages such as Old Frisian kanna and Proto-Germanic kunnan.. In the sense of a 'container' the origins are uncertain but came to English from Proto-Germanic kanna and seen in Late Latin canna with the same meaning and early Latin canna 'reed pipe, boat'.
Cast: began as meaning 'to throw' and came from Old Norse kasta, every other usage came from here - including 'group of actors', 'an eye condition', 'turn', 'a shape from molten metal'.
Chip: in the sense 'piece of wood' can be traced to Proto-Indo-European keipo 'sharp post' and eventually came to mean 'small piece of wood' in Dutch kip and smiliar. The later use to mean 'that cut off' has clear connections and first seen in the early 15th century.
Clear: as a verb and as an adjective - be it to tidy, prove innocent, explain and a number of others - seen since the 13th century and new uses can be found up to the end of the 19th century. The many uses indicate several sources from other languages and there are a number of cases of influence from other languages where the meaning is somewhat different: Old French cler 'bright, shining', Latin clarus 'clear, loud', Italian chiaro and Spanish claro 'illustrious, famous, glorious'. All these can be traced to Proto-Indo-European kle meaning 'to shout'.
Club: used as a noun to mean 'a gathering, an association', is first known in a document from the early 17th century. In the late 13th century we first find the use as 'sizable stick used as a weapon', this from the Old Norse klubba meaning 'cudgel'. Note the suit in playing cards is unknown prior to the 17th century, earlier it being known by its Spanish or Italian names of basto and bastone respectively. By the 17th century the shape shown was that of the trefoil, Danish klover and Dutch klaver literally 'a club at cards' but clearly related to the English 'clover'.
Current: is first applied to the flow of electrical force in 1747, this obviously taken from the flow of water and derived from Old French corant meaning 'running, lively, eager, swift' and from Latin currere 'to run', itself from Proto-Indo-European kers 'to run'. It has been used to mean 'the present time' since around 1570 and should be seen as using 'running' in the same sense as when we speak of something currently being shown.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Yet Even More Words You Will Never Use
Some time ago I listed an A-Z of very unusual words. While flipping through dictionaries and the like on the hunt for word meanings and origins, too often I find myself distracted by words which may or may not be in official use but which would certainly be unknown to the vast majority. So the result is the following A to Z of words which would be of great help to any would-be Countdown contestant and a pain in the proverbial for guests on Call My Bluff.
A is for AZYGOUS - generally only used in an organic sense where the meaning is 'single, not existing in pairs'.
B is for BURHEL - and the name of a breed of wild sheep found in the Himalayas.
C is for CATAFALQUE - a delicious word which would probably be used more were it not for it being the name of a decorative wooden frame for a coffin, used primarily for those lying in state.
D is for DZO - the name given to a beast, the hybrid of a male yak and a cow.
E is for EUSTASY - something we may hear more often, it is the change of sea level due to melting ice caps, glaciers or techtonic movement.
F is for FURCULA - not a word you will have used to describe 'a forked organ or structure' but one you will certainly have seen as it is the correct description for the wishbone of a bird.
G is for GRALLATORIAL - is an adjective relating to long-legged wading birds.
H is for HOPPLE - the act of tying the legs of a quadruped together to prevent it going anywhere.
I is for INFUNDUBULAR - never used but often seen, it means 'funnel-shaped'.
J is for JOWAR - a variety of sorghum native to Asia.
K is for KNAG - the short remains of a dead branch.
L is for LORICATE - having bones or scales forming armour as a defence.
M is for MYRMIDON - either a hired ruffian or a lowly servant.
N is for NUCHAL - an adjective relating to the nape of the neck.
O is for ORTHOGONAL - simply means 'having right angles'.
P is for PUTLOG - a short horizontal timber projecting from a wall which allowed scaffolding boards to be used.
Q is for QUODLIBET - a medley of well-known tunes.
R is for RYOKAN - a traditional Japanese inn.
S is for SWIPPLE - the swinging of a flail.
T is for TYCHISM - the idea that chance is the controlling factor in the entire universe.
U is for UMBLES - the edible offal of deer.
V is for VELUTINOUS - covered with soft fine hairs.
W is for WIGHT - an archaic term for a person.
X is for XERIC - means 'very dry'.
Y is for YERKNOD - a donkey.
Z is for ZNEES - a synonym for 'frost'.
A is for AZYGOUS - generally only used in an organic sense where the meaning is 'single, not existing in pairs'.
B is for BURHEL - and the name of a breed of wild sheep found in the Himalayas.
C is for CATAFALQUE - a delicious word which would probably be used more were it not for it being the name of a decorative wooden frame for a coffin, used primarily for those lying in state.
D is for DZO - the name given to a beast, the hybrid of a male yak and a cow.
E is for EUSTASY - something we may hear more often, it is the change of sea level due to melting ice caps, glaciers or techtonic movement.
F is for FURCULA - not a word you will have used to describe 'a forked organ or structure' but one you will certainly have seen as it is the correct description for the wishbone of a bird.
G is for GRALLATORIAL - is an adjective relating to long-legged wading birds.
H is for HOPPLE - the act of tying the legs of a quadruped together to prevent it going anywhere.
I is for INFUNDUBULAR - never used but often seen, it means 'funnel-shaped'.
J is for JOWAR - a variety of sorghum native to Asia.
K is for KNAG - the short remains of a dead branch.
L is for LORICATE - having bones or scales forming armour as a defence.
M is for MYRMIDON - either a hired ruffian or a lowly servant.
N is for NUCHAL - an adjective relating to the nape of the neck.
O is for ORTHOGONAL - simply means 'having right angles'.
P is for PUTLOG - a short horizontal timber projecting from a wall which allowed scaffolding boards to be used.
Q is for QUODLIBET - a medley of well-known tunes.
R is for RYOKAN - a traditional Japanese inn.
S is for SWIPPLE - the swinging of a flail.
T is for TYCHISM - the idea that chance is the controlling factor in the entire universe.
U is for UMBLES - the edible offal of deer.
V is for VELUTINOUS - covered with soft fine hairs.
W is for WIGHT - an archaic term for a person.
X is for XERIC - means 'very dry'.
Y is for YERKNOD - a donkey.
Z is for ZNEES - a synonym for 'frost'.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Back to School
As children across the country return to school after the long summer break, coincidentally this week I
found myself examining an edited transcript of the events at a nearby village school. Records began in
1872, sadly the first two lines record the deaths of two pupils - the first of which, a boy of six years of age, said to have died "from a softening of the brain."
Perhaps some of the other notes would never make it into modern diaries, although they do give an insight into what staff considered important in times gone by.
January 1873 - Mrs Arblaster visited and brought the children a packet of sweets. (One hopes it was a large packet as there were at least 80 children in attendance at this time.)
June 1875 - the school is now very full, the children rather noisy.
October 1886 - Five children had to be sent home this week suffering from a scurvy complaint.
June 1899 - Attendance not so good owing to Rugeley pleasure fair.
December 1907 - A visit from His Majesty's Inspector who reported: "A new timetable must be drawn up for the infants. Their lessons at present are far too long. The main room is very narrow, badly lighted and ill ventilated and is wedged between the Teachers House on one side and some farm buildings on the other. I understand that at times there is a most offensive smell from some neighbouring premises."
January 1912 - Mrs Orgill visited the school on Monday and gave each child the present of an orange.
May 1915 - Impromptu census of parents' occupations reveals: 54% farm workers; 17% pit workers; 30% various trades (yes this does add up to 101%)
February 1917 - Timetable will be varied during the next few months in order that many additional gardening lessons may be taken for the purpose of cultivating waste land.
July 1917 - Mr J. Price, a bee expert, called to examine the school hive.
August 1918 - Headmaster absent through examination by the Army Medical Board.
August 1918 - Commencing today children will be frequently engaged in blackberry picking (apparently this was part of a national scheme)
March 1927 - Gardening class will be allowed to attend the pruning competition in the orchard belonging to Mr Jones opposite the school at 2pm.
May 1939 - Emergency Supplies S arrived today and have been duly stored unopened (it seems they knew what these were, although I wish they had bothered to note what "Emergency Supplies S" actually contained.
September 1939 - Outbreak of war meant the school remained closed in the morning to allow the headmaster to attend a meeting in Lichfield (this would have been to discuss taking evacuees).
June 1940 - Ten evancuated children from Westgate-on-Sea arrived at the school.
September 1940 - Air raid siren at 3:15pm saw the children head for the shelters until the all clear sounded at 4pm. (Until the end of this year the siren sounded out a further eight times)
September 1941 - two groups of children were out picking blackberries which were later delivered to the Drink Preservation Centre. Later that month other parties collected elderberries and rose-hips.
November 1947 - children had a day's holiday to mark the wedding of a certain Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
June 1953 - 64 children and three teachers had a half-day's holiday and attended Rugeley Plaza to see a film entitled The Queen is Crowned.
October 1953 - another day's holiday, this time to allow the children to travel to see Queen Elizabeth, th e Queen Mother open Blithfield Reservoir.
January 1964 - During the holidays the school had had toilets installed and connected to the main sewer, the old privy buildings were demolished.
February 1965 - Granada Television delivered the school's first ever television.
April 1969 - overnight the school rabbits were stolen.
December 1970 - industrial action by power station workers resulted in children being sent home with a letter warning parents they may find the children sent home at any time when the temperature in the school dropped too low.
July 1990 - (and my personal favourite) saw the evening report by the school governors attended by a single parent. This was July 4th 1990 which, as any football supporter will be well-aware, was the evening of the World Cup Semi-Final at Italia 90 between West Germany and England. The match went to extra time and then penalties - although I just can't recall who won the penalty shoot-out.
Perhaps some of the other notes would never make it into modern diaries, although they do give an insight into what staff considered important in times gone by.
January 1873 - Mrs Arblaster visited and brought the children a packet of sweets. (One hopes it was a large packet as there were at least 80 children in attendance at this time.)
June 1875 - the school is now very full, the children rather noisy.
October 1886 - Five children had to be sent home this week suffering from a scurvy complaint.
June 1899 - Attendance not so good owing to Rugeley pleasure fair.
December 1907 - A visit from His Majesty's Inspector who reported: "A new timetable must be drawn up for the infants. Their lessons at present are far too long. The main room is very narrow, badly lighted and ill ventilated and is wedged between the Teachers House on one side and some farm buildings on the other. I understand that at times there is a most offensive smell from some neighbouring premises."
January 1912 - Mrs Orgill visited the school on Monday and gave each child the present of an orange.
May 1915 - Impromptu census of parents' occupations reveals: 54% farm workers; 17% pit workers; 30% various trades (yes this does add up to 101%)
February 1917 - Timetable will be varied during the next few months in order that many additional gardening lessons may be taken for the purpose of cultivating waste land.
July 1917 - Mr J. Price, a bee expert, called to examine the school hive.
August 1918 - Headmaster absent through examination by the Army Medical Board.
August 1918 - Commencing today children will be frequently engaged in blackberry picking (apparently this was part of a national scheme)
March 1927 - Gardening class will be allowed to attend the pruning competition in the orchard belonging to Mr Jones opposite the school at 2pm.
May 1939 - Emergency Supplies S arrived today and have been duly stored unopened (it seems they knew what these were, although I wish they had bothered to note what "Emergency Supplies S" actually contained.
September 1939 - Outbreak of war meant the school remained closed in the morning to allow the headmaster to attend a meeting in Lichfield (this would have been to discuss taking evacuees).
June 1940 - Ten evancuated children from Westgate-on-Sea arrived at the school.
September 1940 - Air raid siren at 3:15pm saw the children head for the shelters until the all clear sounded at 4pm. (Until the end of this year the siren sounded out a further eight times)
September 1941 - two groups of children were out picking blackberries which were later delivered to the Drink Preservation Centre. Later that month other parties collected elderberries and rose-hips.
November 1947 - children had a day's holiday to mark the wedding of a certain Princess Elizabeth to Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten.
June 1953 - 64 children and three teachers had a half-day's holiday and attended Rugeley Plaza to see a film entitled The Queen is Crowned.
October 1953 - another day's holiday, this time to allow the children to travel to see Queen Elizabeth, th e Queen Mother open Blithfield Reservoir.
January 1964 - During the holidays the school had had toilets installed and connected to the main sewer, the old privy buildings were demolished.
February 1965 - Granada Television delivered the school's first ever television.
April 1969 - overnight the school rabbits were stolen.
December 1970 - industrial action by power station workers resulted in children being sent home with a letter warning parents they may find the children sent home at any time when the temperature in the school dropped too low.
July 1990 - (and my personal favourite) saw the evening report by the school governors attended by a single parent. This was July 4th 1990 which, as any football supporter will be well-aware, was the evening of the World Cup Semi-Final at Italia 90 between West Germany and England. The match went to extra time and then penalties - although I just can't recall who won the penalty shoot-out.
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Quiz Question
A little break from place names and a look at a controversial subject - hanging. At a quiz I'd heard the question "When was hanging abolished in the UK?" to which the answer was said to "It hasn't, it is still possible to be hanged for treason." Having sat in the quiz master's chair years ago I didn't argue the point, it's a tough enough job, but felt fairly certain it had been abolished before the end of the 20th century in the UK. Hence I did a little research.
One of the first 'facts' to come to light was how, at the beginning of the 19th century, there were no fewer than 222 capital crimes. While perfectly true this does not give a clear picture. Further back in history we find there were just 50 offences carrying the death penalty in 1688, the massive increase retrospectively seen as an attempt by the 'haves' to protect what they had from the 'have-nots'. A contemporary wrote of how "Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen." This also explains some of what we would see as ludicrously severe punishments for crimes which today would probably not even incur as much as a caution.
Before condemning these times, it should also be noted that while 35,000 death sentences were handed down between 1770 and 1830, only 7,000 actually reached the gallows, the remainder having their sentence commuted, most often to transportation. Many of these trials on record clearly show the courts have deliberately under-valued the value of stolen goods in order to avoid a mandatory death sentence. There were also a number of reasons where the guilty to be considered unsuitable for the gallows and listed as "benefit of clergy, official pardons, pregnancy, performance of military or naval duty" and subject to what can best be described as 'creative interpretation'. Furthermore note that by the middle of the 18th century this had been reduced to just five.
During my research of my bookBloody British Histories: Stafford
To answer the quiz question hanging officially ended in Britain on 27th of January 1999, although nobody will have been sentenced to such for the last three decades. Yet since the Saxons introduced hanging as a punishment in the 5th century a number of odd 'crimes' have incurred the death penalty, an (incomplete) list follows.
Murder (officially removed in 1969).
High treason (until 1999).
Capital murder (defined as murder committed in the course of theft; murder by shooting or explosion; murder while resisting arrest or during a prison escape; murder of a police or prison officer; two murders committed on different occasions - I have to say the latter seems pointless as one murder (see above) already carried the death penalty).
Attempted murder.
Petty treason.
Rape.
Arson in a naval dockyard (until 1971).
Espionage (until 1981).
Piracy (until 1981).
Sodomy.
Buggery.
Witchcraft.
Highway robbery.
Embezzling a master's goods.
Robbing churches.
Robbing a person in a dwelling house.
Rioting which caused serious damage to a church, house, barn or stable.
Shooting at someone.
Cutting someone.
Maiming someone.
Counterfeiting coin.
Forgery.
Arson of a dwelling house or of a barn with corn.
Shoplifting.
Picking pockets.
Stealing sheep, cattle, or horses.
Grand larceny (defined as the theft of anything valued at at least 12 pence, remember this was pre-decimalisation and equal to the modern 5p).
Destroying a turnpike.
Stealing from a rabbit warren.
Damaging forests and parks.
Cutting down an orchard.
To lie in wait with intent to put out an eye, disable a tongue or slit the nose (very specific and a result of Sir John Coventry having his nose slit by an assailant in Covcent Garden).
Being in the company of gypsies for one month.
Strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14 years of age (makes you wonder how any every survived long enough into adulthood to enact the law).
Blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime (a result of bands of poachers doing so following the South Sea Bubble collapse).
Sacrilege
Letter stealing
Returning from transportation (presumably without permission) although records show only 5% ever returned (again presumably after they had completed their sentence).
Stealing from a shipwreck.
A sailor or soldier begging without a licence.
Damaging Westminster Bridge.
Impersonating a Chelsea Pensioner.
Strong evidence of malice in children between 7 and 14 years (amazes me that any survived long enough into adulthood to bring in the law).
Writing a threatening letter.
This list is not intended to be in any order of ascending or descending severity.
One of the first 'facts' to come to light was how, at the beginning of the 19th century, there were no fewer than 222 capital crimes. While perfectly true this does not give a clear picture. Further back in history we find there were just 50 offences carrying the death penalty in 1688, the massive increase retrospectively seen as an attempt by the 'haves' to protect what they had from the 'have-nots'. A contemporary wrote of how "Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen." This also explains some of what we would see as ludicrously severe punishments for crimes which today would probably not even incur as much as a caution.
Before condemning these times, it should also be noted that while 35,000 death sentences were handed down between 1770 and 1830, only 7,000 actually reached the gallows, the remainder having their sentence commuted, most often to transportation. Many of these trials on record clearly show the courts have deliberately under-valued the value of stolen goods in order to avoid a mandatory death sentence. There were also a number of reasons where the guilty to be considered unsuitable for the gallows and listed as "benefit of clergy, official pardons, pregnancy, performance of military or naval duty" and subject to what can best be described as 'creative interpretation'. Furthermore note that by the middle of the 18th century this had been reduced to just five.
During my research of my book
To answer the quiz question hanging officially ended in Britain on 27th of January 1999, although nobody will have been sentenced to such for the last three decades. Yet since the Saxons introduced hanging as a punishment in the 5th century a number of odd 'crimes' have incurred the death penalty, an (incomplete) list follows.
Murder (officially removed in 1969).
High treason (until 1999).
Capital murder (defined as murder committed in the course of theft; murder by shooting or explosion; murder while resisting arrest or during a prison escape; murder of a police or prison officer; two murders committed on different occasions - I have to say the latter seems pointless as one murder (see above) already carried the death penalty).
Attempted murder.
Petty treason.
Rape.
Arson in a naval dockyard (until 1971).
Espionage (until 1981).
Piracy (until 1981).
Sodomy.
Buggery.
Witchcraft.
Highway robbery.
Embezzling a master's goods.
Robbing churches.
Robbing a person in a dwelling house.
Rioting which caused serious damage to a church, house, barn or stable.
Shooting at someone.
Cutting someone.
Maiming someone.
Counterfeiting coin.
Forgery.
Arson of a dwelling house or of a barn with corn.
Shoplifting.
Picking pockets.
Stealing sheep, cattle, or horses.
Grand larceny (defined as the theft of anything valued at at least 12 pence, remember this was pre-decimalisation and equal to the modern 5p).
Destroying a turnpike.
Stealing from a rabbit warren.
Damaging forests and parks.
Cutting down an orchard.
To lie in wait with intent to put out an eye, disable a tongue or slit the nose (very specific and a result of Sir John Coventry having his nose slit by an assailant in Covcent Garden).
Being in the company of gypsies for one month.
Strong evidence of malice in a child aged 7–14 years of age (makes you wonder how any every survived long enough into adulthood to enact the law).
Blacking the face or using a disguise whilst committing a crime (a result of bands of poachers doing so following the South Sea Bubble collapse).
Sacrilege
Letter stealing
Returning from transportation (presumably without permission) although records show only 5% ever returned (again presumably after they had completed their sentence).
Stealing from a shipwreck.
A sailor or soldier begging without a licence.
Damaging Westminster Bridge.
Impersonating a Chelsea Pensioner.
Strong evidence of malice in children between 7 and 14 years (amazes me that any survived long enough into adulthood to bring in the law).
Writing a threatening letter.
This list is not intended to be in any order of ascending or descending severity.
Sunday, 23 August 2015
Bolivia Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Benin and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
La Paz is, as any trivia buff will know, the world's highest capital city. Founded in 1548 by the Spanish Conquistadors as Nuestra Senora de La Paz, this meaning 'Our Lady of Peace', and built on the site of the earlier site of Laja.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra is by far the largest in terms of population. Another founded by the Spanish Conquistadors and named Santa Cruz de la Sierra or 'Holy Cross of the Hills' by Nuflo de Chaves in 1558.
Cochabamba, sometimes given as Quchapampa, gets its name from qucha 'lake' and pampa 'open plain'.
Oruro is named after the local tribe, the Uru-Uru.
Sucre was named to honour the victorious Don Antionio Jose de Sucre at the Battle of Ayacucho on 9 December 1824.
Tarija is traditionally held to be derived from one Francisco de Tarija, however it has been shown this name existed prior to the arrival of the Spanish and the name's origins remain a mystery.
Potosi is likewise uncertain and also has a traditional tale associated with its origins. The story tells of the year of 1462, when Huayna Capa, ruler of the Inca Empire, came to Potosi to view for himself the place where "Innumerable arrobas of silver had been taken" - arroba being a Spanish unit of weight approximating to some 25 pounds. He told his subjects how he had seen the hill was truly filled with veins of the precious metal and commanded them to remove every last piece. Yet just as they were about to remove the first of the ore the hill shook and a thunderous voice bellowed "Do not take the silver from this hill, it is destined for other masters." The workers returned to their king and told them of the 'noise' which, in their language, spoke of potocsi, later corrupted to potosi.
Trinidad should correctly be La Santisima Trinidad or 'the Most Holy Trinity'.
Yacuiba comes from the Guarani yaku-iba loosely translating as 'the watering hole of fowls'.
Colcapirhua comes from the Quechua words qolque 'money' and pirwua 'sky where corn is stored'.
Llallagua is the hispanicized version of Llallawa, an Aymara word meaning 'monstrous potato' and a reference to the double hill overshadowing the town.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
La Paz is, as any trivia buff will know, the world's highest capital city. Founded in 1548 by the Spanish Conquistadors as Nuestra Senora de La Paz, this meaning 'Our Lady of Peace', and built on the site of the earlier site of Laja.
Santa Cruz de la Sierra is by far the largest in terms of population. Another founded by the Spanish Conquistadors and named Santa Cruz de la Sierra or 'Holy Cross of the Hills' by Nuflo de Chaves in 1558.
Cochabamba, sometimes given as Quchapampa, gets its name from qucha 'lake' and pampa 'open plain'.
Oruro is named after the local tribe, the Uru-Uru.
Sucre was named to honour the victorious Don Antionio Jose de Sucre at the Battle of Ayacucho on 9 December 1824.
Tarija is traditionally held to be derived from one Francisco de Tarija, however it has been shown this name existed prior to the arrival of the Spanish and the name's origins remain a mystery.
Potosi is likewise uncertain and also has a traditional tale associated with its origins. The story tells of the year of 1462, when Huayna Capa, ruler of the Inca Empire, came to Potosi to view for himself the place where "Innumerable arrobas of silver had been taken" - arroba being a Spanish unit of weight approximating to some 25 pounds. He told his subjects how he had seen the hill was truly filled with veins of the precious metal and commanded them to remove every last piece. Yet just as they were about to remove the first of the ore the hill shook and a thunderous voice bellowed "Do not take the silver from this hill, it is destined for other masters." The workers returned to their king and told them of the 'noise' which, in their language, spoke of potocsi, later corrupted to potosi.
Trinidad should correctly be La Santisima Trinidad or 'the Most Holy Trinity'.
Yacuiba comes from the Guarani yaku-iba loosely translating as 'the watering hole of fowls'.
Colcapirhua comes from the Quechua words qolque 'money' and pirwua 'sky where corn is stored'.
Llallagua is the hispanicized version of Llallawa, an Aymara word meaning 'monstrous potato' and a reference to the double hill overshadowing the town.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Bhutan Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Benin and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Thimphu is the largest city, although only having a population of 68,000, and the origins of its name are unclear. It is not recorded until the latter half of the 14th century. There is a traditional explanation, one coming from a written account of the travels of Jamyang Kuenga Senge (1314-47) and his meeting with Jagpa Melan, a deity local to the area now known as Thimphu. It is said Jagpa Melan dissolved before the man's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which he stood. Thus the name of Thimphu means 'dissolving high ground' where thim 'dissolve' precedes phu 'high ground'.
Punakha was the capital city of Bhutan until 1955, when replaced by Thimphu, although it is still the official winter capital owing to its milder climate. This is how Punakha Dzong is usually referred to, although even that is an abbreviation of Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong meaning 'the palace of great happiness or bliss'. Said palace was built in the middle of the 17th century and still stands among on the banks of the river.
Trashigang, also given as Tashigang, derives its name from the Tshangia inhabitants of this eastern region of Bhutan and, in their Dzongkha language, means 'easterner'.
Wangdue Phodrang shares its name woth the district. Again the only explanation is a traditional one, said to have been given by Ngawang Namgyal who, when searching for a good site for a new dzong, discovered a boy playing near the river. The boy was known as Wangdi and he therefore named the site 'Wangdi's palace'.
Trongsa was founded with the building of the first temple in 1543 and named as 'the new village'.
Damphu as with Thimphu the suffix here is phu 'high ground' and this by a confluence of two rivers with dam meaning 'joining'.
Gasa is known locally as Tashi Thongmon, also the name of the dzong, and this the name of the local deity.
Jakar quite literally means 'white bird', a reminder of the tradition of the monastery being founded on the site where a white bird signalled to show where it should be built.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Thimphu is the largest city, although only having a population of 68,000, and the origins of its name are unclear. It is not recorded until the latter half of the 14th century. There is a traditional explanation, one coming from a written account of the travels of Jamyang Kuenga Senge (1314-47) and his meeting with Jagpa Melan, a deity local to the area now known as Thimphu. It is said Jagpa Melan dissolved before the man's eyes, becoming a part of the rock on which he stood. Thus the name of Thimphu means 'dissolving high ground' where thim 'dissolve' precedes phu 'high ground'.
Punakha was the capital city of Bhutan until 1955, when replaced by Thimphu, although it is still the official winter capital owing to its milder climate. This is how Punakha Dzong is usually referred to, although even that is an abbreviation of Pungtang Dechen Photrang Dzong meaning 'the palace of great happiness or bliss'. Said palace was built in the middle of the 17th century and still stands among on the banks of the river.
Trashigang, also given as Tashigang, derives its name from the Tshangia inhabitants of this eastern region of Bhutan and, in their Dzongkha language, means 'easterner'.
Wangdue Phodrang shares its name woth the district. Again the only explanation is a traditional one, said to have been given by Ngawang Namgyal who, when searching for a good site for a new dzong, discovered a boy playing near the river. The boy was known as Wangdi and he therefore named the site 'Wangdi's palace'.
Trongsa was founded with the building of the first temple in 1543 and named as 'the new village'.
Damphu as with Thimphu the suffix here is phu 'high ground' and this by a confluence of two rivers with dam meaning 'joining'.
Gasa is known locally as Tashi Thongmon, also the name of the dzong, and this the name of the local deity.
Jakar quite literally means 'white bird', a reminder of the tradition of the monastery being founded on the site where a white bird signalled to show where it should be built.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 9 August 2015
Benin Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Benin and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Cotonou is named from the local Fon language where the name originally meant 'river of death', this being the Oueme River.
Porto-Novo is a name of Portuguese origin and describes 'the new port', although it has not been 'new' since renamed by them in the 16th century.
Parakou is a Dendi word meaning La ville de tout le monde, a reminder this had been French territory, indeed once known as French Dahomey, and refers to 'the city of everyone'. Incidentally the name of Dahomey is discussed under my earlier blogThe Etymology of the Names of African Nations
Bohicon is a modern form of the correct name of Gboxicon, literally meaning 'market sheep' and accurately describing the major commodity fuelling the economy of the city.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Cotonou is named from the local Fon language where the name originally meant 'river of death', this being the Oueme River.
Porto-Novo is a name of Portuguese origin and describes 'the new port', although it has not been 'new' since renamed by them in the 16th century.
Parakou is a Dendi word meaning La ville de tout le monde, a reminder this had been French territory, indeed once known as French Dahomey, and refers to 'the city of everyone'. Incidentally the name of Dahomey is discussed under my earlier blog
Bohicon is a modern form of the correct name of Gboxicon, literally meaning 'market sheep' and accurately describing the major commodity fuelling the economy of the city.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Belize Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Belize and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the the nation's namesake.
Belize City is the capital city of the district known as Belize although no longer the capital of the nation of Belize - it stands on a tributary of the Belize River. The nation was formerly known as British Honduras, when Belize was still the capital city. The name was first recorded in 1677, in the journal of a Domincan priest named Fray Jose Delgado, when speaking of the Rio Soyte (now known as the Sittee River), Rio Xibum (now Sibun River), and the Rio Balis which is presumed to be the Belize River and coming from the Mayan word belix meaning 'muddy waters'. Other suggestions of a Spanish pronunciation of the name of Peter Wallace, a Scot who did have a small settlement named after him but not when, or even if, he was ever here, are likely muthical. With French and African derivations similarly creative from an etymological perspective.
Belmopan has been the capital city since 1973, three years after central government had relocated here. It is the smallest capital city, in terms of population, in all of the Americas and is only the third largest settlement in the country. However the place is little more than 50 years old, building beginning as recently as 1960 when the city of Belize was well-nigh destroyed by a hurricane. Such a recent origin means the origins of the name are well known, this is a union of two rivers - the Belize and the Mopan, their confluence found nearby.
San Ignacio is the second largest settlement in Belize by population, yet still only ranks as a town. It was originally named El Cayo by the Spanich, cayo meaning 'island' and an apt description of a place surrounded by water. The modern name is the Spanish version of Saint Ignatius.
Orange Walk Town is the capital of Orange Walk District, both originating in the fruit. However the town's nickname of Sugar City is more accurate, this being the hub of sugar production in Belize where sugar is its leading industry. Under Mayan rule the place was known as Holpatin, the meaning of which is unknown.
Dangriga was once the second largest city in the country and has enjoyed a revival in recent decades, principally through the return to Garifuna culture. These Carib people had first settled the region before the British arrived in 1832, naming the place from the Garifuna word meaning 'standing waters'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Belize City is the capital city of the district known as Belize although no longer the capital of the nation of Belize - it stands on a tributary of the Belize River. The nation was formerly known as British Honduras, when Belize was still the capital city. The name was first recorded in 1677, in the journal of a Domincan priest named Fray Jose Delgado, when speaking of the Rio Soyte (now known as the Sittee River), Rio Xibum (now Sibun River), and the Rio Balis which is presumed to be the Belize River and coming from the Mayan word belix meaning 'muddy waters'. Other suggestions of a Spanish pronunciation of the name of Peter Wallace, a Scot who did have a small settlement named after him but not when, or even if, he was ever here, are likely muthical. With French and African derivations similarly creative from an etymological perspective.
Belmopan has been the capital city since 1973, three years after central government had relocated here. It is the smallest capital city, in terms of population, in all of the Americas and is only the third largest settlement in the country. However the place is little more than 50 years old, building beginning as recently as 1960 when the city of Belize was well-nigh destroyed by a hurricane. Such a recent origin means the origins of the name are well known, this is a union of two rivers - the Belize and the Mopan, their confluence found nearby.
San Ignacio is the second largest settlement in Belize by population, yet still only ranks as a town. It was originally named El Cayo by the Spanich, cayo meaning 'island' and an apt description of a place surrounded by water. The modern name is the Spanish version of Saint Ignatius.
Orange Walk Town is the capital of Orange Walk District, both originating in the fruit. However the town's nickname of Sugar City is more accurate, this being the hub of sugar production in Belize where sugar is its leading industry. Under Mayan rule the place was known as Holpatin, the meaning of which is unknown.
Dangriga was once the second largest city in the country and has enjoyed a revival in recent decades, principally through the return to Garifuna culture. These Carib people had first settled the region before the British arrived in 1832, naming the place from the Garifuna word meaning 'standing waters'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Belarus Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Belarus and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital city of Minsk.
Minsk is first recorded in an 11th century text written in Old East Slavic as Mensk. Later we find Miensk and Minsk, all of which are derived from the river name of Men. Despite a number of theories, the origin of the river name remains unknown.
Dzyarzhynsk had formerly been called Koidanova, Kojdanau, and Koidanov, until renamed in June 1932 in honour of Felix Dzerzhinsky, a famous Bolshevik and chief of the Soviet secret police, he being born near the city.
Zaslawye was founded in AD 985 by Valdimir the Great. He left his wife Rogneda and son Izyaslav of Polotsk here while on his travels, his son giving the place its name.
Krupki is one of those names where the grammar is not clear. Hence the origin is known although the meaning could either be interpreted as '(where) grain is ground' or more likely 'the grain mill'.
Vitebsk has developed around the harbour on the Vitba River. Clearly the river has given the city its name although the origin of the river name is unknown.
Orsha is another city in Belarus once named after its river. However here we not only know the city's earlier name of Rsha but also know the Rsha River is derived from a Baltic root word rus meaning 'flowing slowly'. The modern form simply a variation on the original.
Navapolatsk is close to the city of Polatsk and means 'new Polatsk'. The town was established as recently as 1958, by those from the following city.
Polotsk is another which takes its name from the local river. The Polota River is an Old East Slavic name, meaning 'falling into' this describes its confluence with the Dvina River.
Lepel's origins are confused for it is unclear as to even which language the name comes from. Perhaps this is lepene and thus 'the lake between the groves of lime trees'; or maybe this is from the Belarusian for 'where advanced pottery is made' or even the boast that it is 'the best place to live'. Three very different meanings from three well-nigh identical words showing how difficult defining a place name can be.
Dubrovna is an ancient name, one coming from the Proto-Slavic term for a 'forest of oak trees' - this is recognised by the inclusion of the leaves and fruit of this tree in the coat of arms.
Dokshytsy is first recorded in the early fifteenth century and is named for the many tributaries or doxyczahe in this area.
Grodno derives its name from the Old East Slavic gorodit meaning 'to fence in' or 'to enclose'.
Ashmyany once stood on land held by Lithuania, with its name coming from the river. Hence the Oshmianka River gave the town its name, although then it was the Asmena River from akumo meaning 'stone'. Note the modern version is the plural.
Navahrudak was founded around the 11th century, the name possibly having the same origins as Novogorodok or 'the new little town' as it is listed in the middle of the 13th century.
Slonim is mentioned as such in 1252, with alternative versions as Uslonim and Vslonim. It is thought to come from the Slavic zaslona meaning 'a screen', this pointing to it being a southern outpost of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Occasionally there are suggestions of this coming from slon, although nobody really thinks the place names comes from the Polish word for 'elephant'.
Lida is another place name taken from its local river. Here the Lidzeya literally means 'to fuse' or 'to cast' but in this context is a pointer to a forest clearing.
Babruysk shares an origin with the Babruyka River in likely coming from Belarusian babyor meaning 'beaver'. Pollution and hunting has meant neither the city nor the river have seen a beaver in its natural habitat for more than 150 years.
Vawkavysk is traditionally held to originate from the local dialect where wolkow isk means 'searching for wolves' or wolkow wisk meaning 'the howling of wolves' with the river named before the town. This traditional relies on the name being an ancient one and given to the territory before the river or the settlement. Hence toponymists give a much later origin, one based on a single manuscript dating from somewhere around 1600. It tells of this being an area of great forest through which weaved the Nietupa River, giving travellers the problem of having to weave along narrow paths to either cross or avoid it. The forest also contained a cabin, this the home of Voloko and Visek, two robbers preying on every traveller passing through the forest. When one Prince Vladislav Zabeyko heard of these attacks he set out to find and kill these men. While the bodies of the men hung from a nearby tree to be fed on by the local birds, the first buildings of the new settlement were built on the site of the robbers' cabin. When all trace of the two bodies had vanished a large stone was placed there to warn others of the vengeance meted out to anyone who dared to use the forest for criminal purposes. This stone later incorporated in the building of the temple.
To find such a story as that behind the apparent origins of Vawkavysk promoted by toponymists is almost shocking. Indeed we would expect this to be the traditional tale. Note this narrative is from a single document, is from a much later date than most place names, and the absolute proof comes from the river. While the Nietupa River provided an apparent barrier to travellers in the sixteenth century, there is no major river here today, nor any water course which might prove difficult to cross.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Minsk is first recorded in an 11th century text written in Old East Slavic as Mensk. Later we find Miensk and Minsk, all of which are derived from the river name of Men. Despite a number of theories, the origin of the river name remains unknown.
Dzyarzhynsk had formerly been called Koidanova, Kojdanau, and Koidanov, until renamed in June 1932 in honour of Felix Dzerzhinsky, a famous Bolshevik and chief of the Soviet secret police, he being born near the city.
Zaslawye was founded in AD 985 by Valdimir the Great. He left his wife Rogneda and son Izyaslav of Polotsk here while on his travels, his son giving the place its name.
Krupki is one of those names where the grammar is not clear. Hence the origin is known although the meaning could either be interpreted as '(where) grain is ground' or more likely 'the grain mill'.
Vitebsk has developed around the harbour on the Vitba River. Clearly the river has given the city its name although the origin of the river name is unknown.
Orsha is another city in Belarus once named after its river. However here we not only know the city's earlier name of Rsha but also know the Rsha River is derived from a Baltic root word rus meaning 'flowing slowly'. The modern form simply a variation on the original.
Navapolatsk is close to the city of Polatsk and means 'new Polatsk'. The town was established as recently as 1958, by those from the following city.
Polotsk is another which takes its name from the local river. The Polota River is an Old East Slavic name, meaning 'falling into' this describes its confluence with the Dvina River.
Lepel's origins are confused for it is unclear as to even which language the name comes from. Perhaps this is lepene and thus 'the lake between the groves of lime trees'; or maybe this is from the Belarusian for 'where advanced pottery is made' or even the boast that it is 'the best place to live'. Three very different meanings from three well-nigh identical words showing how difficult defining a place name can be.
Dubrovna is an ancient name, one coming from the Proto-Slavic term for a 'forest of oak trees' - this is recognised by the inclusion of the leaves and fruit of this tree in the coat of arms.
Dokshytsy is first recorded in the early fifteenth century and is named for the many tributaries or doxyczahe in this area.
Grodno derives its name from the Old East Slavic gorodit meaning 'to fence in' or 'to enclose'.
Ashmyany once stood on land held by Lithuania, with its name coming from the river. Hence the Oshmianka River gave the town its name, although then it was the Asmena River from akumo meaning 'stone'. Note the modern version is the plural.
Navahrudak was founded around the 11th century, the name possibly having the same origins as Novogorodok or 'the new little town' as it is listed in the middle of the 13th century.
Slonim is mentioned as such in 1252, with alternative versions as Uslonim and Vslonim. It is thought to come from the Slavic zaslona meaning 'a screen', this pointing to it being a southern outpost of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Occasionally there are suggestions of this coming from slon, although nobody really thinks the place names comes from the Polish word for 'elephant'.
Lida is another place name taken from its local river. Here the Lidzeya literally means 'to fuse' or 'to cast' but in this context is a pointer to a forest clearing.
Babruysk shares an origin with the Babruyka River in likely coming from Belarusian babyor meaning 'beaver'. Pollution and hunting has meant neither the city nor the river have seen a beaver in its natural habitat for more than 150 years.
Vawkavysk is traditionally held to originate from the local dialect where wolkow isk means 'searching for wolves' or wolkow wisk meaning 'the howling of wolves' with the river named before the town. This traditional relies on the name being an ancient one and given to the territory before the river or the settlement. Hence toponymists give a much later origin, one based on a single manuscript dating from somewhere around 1600. It tells of this being an area of great forest through which weaved the Nietupa River, giving travellers the problem of having to weave along narrow paths to either cross or avoid it. The forest also contained a cabin, this the home of Voloko and Visek, two robbers preying on every traveller passing through the forest. When one Prince Vladislav Zabeyko heard of these attacks he set out to find and kill these men. While the bodies of the men hung from a nearby tree to be fed on by the local birds, the first buildings of the new settlement were built on the site of the robbers' cabin. When all trace of the two bodies had vanished a large stone was placed there to warn others of the vengeance meted out to anyone who dared to use the forest for criminal purposes. This stone later incorporated in the building of the temple.
To find such a story as that behind the apparent origins of Vawkavysk promoted by toponymists is almost shocking. Indeed we would expect this to be the traditional tale. Note this narrative is from a single document, is from a much later date than most place names, and the absolute proof comes from the river. While the Nietupa River provided an apparent barrier to travellers in the sixteenth century, there is no major river here today, nor any water course which might prove difficult to cross.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 19 July 2015
Djibouti Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Djibouti and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Djibouti City gave its name to the country, the city thought to have originated as the Afar word gabouri meaning 'plate'. This would have been a ceremonial item, a plate woven from the fibres of doum-palms.
Tadjoura comes from Afar, where the noun tagor, or tagar in the plural, speaks of 'that which has goatskin flasks for drawing water'. This should not be taken overly literally and is understood as simply speaking of 'an abundance of water'.
Dikhil is from the Somali language where dikhil simply refers to 'a watering hole'.
Loyada gets its name from the Afar Le-adu meaning 'the white watering place'. This became Loowya adde in Somali, changing the meaning slightly to 'with white calves'. Note the French spelling of Loyada is today increasingly seen as the Somali Lawya caddo.
Considering the location it should not be overly unsurprising to find all these place names to be based on a supply of water.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Djibouti City gave its name to the country, the city thought to have originated as the Afar word gabouri meaning 'plate'. This would have been a ceremonial item, a plate woven from the fibres of doum-palms.
Tadjoura comes from Afar, where the noun tagor, or tagar in the plural, speaks of 'that which has goatskin flasks for drawing water'. This should not be taken overly literally and is understood as simply speaking of 'an abundance of water'.
Dikhil is from the Somali language where dikhil simply refers to 'a watering hole'.
Loyada gets its name from the Afar Le-adu meaning 'the white watering place'. This became Loowya adde in Somali, changing the meaning slightly to 'with white calves'. Note the French spelling of Loyada is today increasingly seen as the Somali Lawya caddo.
Considering the location it should not be overly unsurprising to find all these place names to be based on a supply of water.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Saturday, 11 July 2015
Bangladesh Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Bangladesh and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names.
Dhaka is the capital and largest city, the origins of which are uncertain but not lacking in suggestions. Most often this is said to come from the dhak tree, also called the flame of the forest, which may once have been common in the area. However we also find this explained as from the goddess Dhakeshwari, her shrine being found in the city. A third story refers to a musical instrument, the dhak being played by Subahdar Islam Khan I when the city was founded in 1610. Fourth is Dhaka Bhasa, a Prakrit dialect reference to ‘a watch tower’. Perhaps we shall never know.
Chittagong is a westernised version of the Bengali name of Chattagram, Chattagaon, Chattala, Chativavo, Chaityabhumi, and Chatgaon. Although the Arabs had long known the port as Shetgang, from Shatt or ‘delta’ and Ganga meaning ‘Ganges’, a Chinese traveller recorded the name as Cheh-ti-gan and this is said to have produced the modern form.
Rajshahi is generally accepted as coming from the Hindi Raj and Persian-influenced Shahi which both refer to either the ‘royal’ or the ‘kingdom’ depending upon context.
Narayanganj got its name from the religious leader Bicon Lal Pandey, a Hindu also known as Benur Thakur or Lakshi Narayan Thakur.
Note the spellings of the places are in English as the piece is in English.
Dhaka is the capital and largest city, the origins of which are uncertain but not lacking in suggestions. Most often this is said to come from the dhak tree, also called the flame of the forest, which may once have been common in the area. However we also find this explained as from the goddess Dhakeshwari, her shrine being found in the city. A third story refers to a musical instrument, the dhak being played by Subahdar Islam Khan I when the city was founded in 1610. Fourth is Dhaka Bhasa, a Prakrit dialect reference to ‘a watch tower’. Perhaps we shall never know.
Chittagong is a westernised version of the Bengali name of Chattagram, Chattagaon, Chattala, Chativavo, Chaityabhumi, and Chatgaon. Although the Arabs had long known the port as Shetgang, from Shatt or ‘delta’ and Ganga meaning ‘Ganges’, a Chinese traveller recorded the name as Cheh-ti-gan and this is said to have produced the modern form.
Rajshahi is generally accepted as coming from the Hindi Raj and Persian-influenced Shahi which both refer to either the ‘royal’ or the ‘kingdom’ depending upon context.
Narayanganj got its name from the religious leader Bicon Lal Pandey, a Hindu also known as Benur Thakur or Lakshi Narayan Thakur.
Note the spellings of the places are in English as the piece is in English.
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Bahrain Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. This time a look at the Bahrain and some of the largest settlements and most interesting names.
Manama is the capital city, with a name derived from the Arabic word al-manama perhaps used to describe 'the place of rest' or alternatively 'the place of dreams'. The capital is by far the largest being the only place to boast a population of over one million.
Muharraq was Bahrain's capital until replaced by Manama in 1923. Its name comes from the Arabic, quite literally meaning 'burned down'
Isa Town is named very recently, remembering the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999, one Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah.
Jidhafs has been defined by Bahraini historians as 'the coast of Hafs'.
Sanabis has uncertain origins, although traditionally this is held to be named after the Qahtanite Tavy who migrated to the general area and who were also known as the Sinbas.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Manama is the capital city, with a name derived from the Arabic word al-manama perhaps used to describe 'the place of rest' or alternatively 'the place of dreams'. The capital is by far the largest being the only place to boast a population of over one million.
Muharraq was Bahrain's capital until replaced by Manama in 1923. Its name comes from the Arabic, quite literally meaning 'burned down'
Isa Town is named very recently, remembering the ruler of Bahrain from 1961 to 1999, one Isa ibn Salman Al Khalifah.
Jidhafs has been defined by Bahraini historians as 'the coast of Hafs'.
Sanabis has uncertain origins, although traditionally this is held to be named after the Qahtanite Tavy who migrated to the general area and who were also known as the Sinbas.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Place Names of the Bahamas Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. This time a look at the Bahamas and some of the largest settlements found on this nation comprisiing more than 700 islands.
Nassau was originally known as Charles Town, named to honour the English king, but after being destroyed by fire in 1684 it was rebuilt and renamed. Again it was an English king who proved the inspiration, this time William III, who was of the Dutch-German House of Orange-Nassau. The name of Nassau is derived from the German town and is also used in the names of ships, of buildings and a kind of bet used in golf. The latter comes from the Nassau Country Club on Long Island and is essentially three bets in one: matchplay over the first nine holes (or front nine), the second nine holes (or back nine), and over all eighteen holes.
Freeport is, as the name suggests, a free trade zone established by the government in 1955.
West End is aptly named as it is the further west of the islands, indeed it is just 50 miles from the coast of the United States of America. It is also known as Settlement Point.
Marsh Harbour is another name of obvious origin, the waterfront still the main attraction for tourists.
Andros takes the name of the island. Originally known as Espiritu Santu by the Spanish, this was known as Andrews Island under early British Colonial rule, with the present name thought to be named after Sir Edmund Andros, Commander of Her Majesty's Forces in Barbados in 1672 and later governor of New York, then Massachusetts, and finally New England.
Spanish Wells was perfectly named as the last stopping place for Spansih vessels heading home, where they replenished their fresh water supplies.
Matthew Town was named after Bahamian Governor George Matthew, who held the position from 1844 to 1849.
Other place name which are self-explanatory but well-worth mentioning are High Rock, Rock Sound, Snug Corner and Pirates Well. Duncan Town on Ragged Island is the 25th most populous settlement on the islands and Albert Town on Crooked Island following at 26th. At the census of 2009 Duncan Town boasted 63 individuals and Albert Town just 23.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Nassau was originally known as Charles Town, named to honour the English king, but after being destroyed by fire in 1684 it was rebuilt and renamed. Again it was an English king who proved the inspiration, this time William III, who was of the Dutch-German House of Orange-Nassau. The name of Nassau is derived from the German town and is also used in the names of ships, of buildings and a kind of bet used in golf. The latter comes from the Nassau Country Club on Long Island and is essentially three bets in one: matchplay over the first nine holes (or front nine), the second nine holes (or back nine), and over all eighteen holes.
Freeport is, as the name suggests, a free trade zone established by the government in 1955.
West End is aptly named as it is the further west of the islands, indeed it is just 50 miles from the coast of the United States of America. It is also known as Settlement Point.
Marsh Harbour is another name of obvious origin, the waterfront still the main attraction for tourists.
Andros takes the name of the island. Originally known as Espiritu Santu by the Spanish, this was known as Andrews Island under early British Colonial rule, with the present name thought to be named after Sir Edmund Andros, Commander of Her Majesty's Forces in Barbados in 1672 and later governor of New York, then Massachusetts, and finally New England.
Spanish Wells was perfectly named as the last stopping place for Spansih vessels heading home, where they replenished their fresh water supplies.
Matthew Town was named after Bahamian Governor George Matthew, who held the position from 1844 to 1849.
Other place name which are self-explanatory but well-worth mentioning are High Rock, Rock Sound, Snug Corner and Pirates Well. Duncan Town on Ragged Island is the 25th most populous settlement on the islands and Albert Town on Crooked Island following at 26th. At the census of 2009 Duncan Town boasted 63 individuals and Albert Town just 23.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 21 June 2015
Azerbaijan Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time I cast my net a little wider. This time a look at Azerbaijan and some of this former Soviet nation's largest cities.
Baku is the capital city and by far the largest. In 2012 the population was given as 2,122,300, more than six times that of the next largest. The city is renowned for being very windy, resulting in it being nicknamed "The City of Winds", while its official name is thought to come from Old Persian Bad-kube which also means 'the wind-pounded city'.
Ganja is traditionally held to have been founded by a Muslim Arab leader, yet historians have shown this to be much earlier and comes from New Persian ganj meaning 'treasury'. This is supported by evidence of the name being recorded as Janza in the 5th century and the population spoke mainly in the Persian language.
Sumqayit has somewhat uncertain origins but that will never prevent folklore offering up a possible origin. It is said the city took its name from the Sumqayit River, itself held to have been named when a hero known as Sum was chosen to fight the monster blocking the path of the river. Sum succeeds in destroying the monster but, in doing so, allowed the waters to crash through and swept the victor away. Apparently he was never seen again but the love of his life, overcome by grief, would often go to the river and cry out in Azerbaijani the words Sum qayit or 'Sum, come back!"
Sheki goes back to the 7th century BC when it was founded by the Sakas, an Iranian people who had come here from the northern Black Sea, to the South Caucasus and to Asia Minor. Saka comes from the Persian and/or Sanskrit term for the Scythians which can be traced to an ancient Indo-European root skeud meaning 'propel, shoot'. This will have referred to them being renowned as the first culture known to mastered the art of mounted warfare, put simply the first cavalrymen.
Yevlakh comes from an Old Turkic word meaning 'a swampy place'.
Lankaran is a modern version of the Persian name of Langarkanan and meant 'the place of pulling up the anchors' and with obvious meaning. There is another explanation, where Median Lan, the name of a tribe in the region of the Caspian Sea, and karan 'border, land' combine to speak of the adjoining region but, at least from an etymological perspective, this seems most unlikely.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Baku is the capital city and by far the largest. In 2012 the population was given as 2,122,300, more than six times that of the next largest. The city is renowned for being very windy, resulting in it being nicknamed "The City of Winds", while its official name is thought to come from Old Persian Bad-kube which also means 'the wind-pounded city'.
Ganja is traditionally held to have been founded by a Muslim Arab leader, yet historians have shown this to be much earlier and comes from New Persian ganj meaning 'treasury'. This is supported by evidence of the name being recorded as Janza in the 5th century and the population spoke mainly in the Persian language.
Sumqayit has somewhat uncertain origins but that will never prevent folklore offering up a possible origin. It is said the city took its name from the Sumqayit River, itself held to have been named when a hero known as Sum was chosen to fight the monster blocking the path of the river. Sum succeeds in destroying the monster but, in doing so, allowed the waters to crash through and swept the victor away. Apparently he was never seen again but the love of his life, overcome by grief, would often go to the river and cry out in Azerbaijani the words Sum qayit or 'Sum, come back!"
Sheki goes back to the 7th century BC when it was founded by the Sakas, an Iranian people who had come here from the northern Black Sea, to the South Caucasus and to Asia Minor. Saka comes from the Persian and/or Sanskrit term for the Scythians which can be traced to an ancient Indo-European root skeud meaning 'propel, shoot'. This will have referred to them being renowned as the first culture known to mastered the art of mounted warfare, put simply the first cavalrymen.
Yevlakh comes from an Old Turkic word meaning 'a swampy place'.
Lankaran is a modern version of the Persian name of Langarkanan and meant 'the place of pulling up the anchors' and with obvious meaning. There is another explanation, where Median Lan, the name of a tribe in the region of the Caspian Sea, and karan 'border, land' combine to speak of the adjoining region but, at least from an etymological perspective, this seems most unlikely.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Saturday, 13 June 2015
Weaponry Etymologies
A break from the tour of the place names of the world. This time the post is a result of an overheard conversation - although my interest was a little different and not really related to their conversation save for a couple of the words.
They spoke of a friend or acquaintance in hospital, apparently they were considering paying the patient a visit. It seems he (I say 'he' even though gender was never specified) had been in an altercation (hence my assumption of 'he') and managed to get himself stabbed. It didn't seem as if it was a particularly serious injury - and his acquaintances seemed quite convinced he had always had it coming to him - and asked the question "Why knife, though?" I assume they meant "Why a knife?" and were not questioning why the assaillant had not been armed with a gun, bow, grenade, or rolling pin. Yet I found my etymological mind thinking of the answer to the question they had actually asked. Thus this time I have produced a list of weapons and examined the origins of the words.
Knife seems the sensible place to start, although it did prove to be something of a disappointment for me as the origins were uncertain. The only early forms known were from the Germanic language group: Old English cnif, Middle Low German knif, Middle Dutch cniif, German kneif, Norse knifr, and all from the Proto-Germanic knibaz. None of these mean anything other than 'knife' used solely as a noun - the earliest written use of 'knife' as a verb is found as recently as 1865. Whislt this may be disappointing in one sense, it is quite the reverse in reality for it shows the age of the word referring to what must have been one of the first words ever coined for a tool. Thus it is simply because it is so old that the earliest sense is unknown.
Blade is used as a slang term for a knife, as well as describing something with a sharp edge, and also used to refer to a leaf as in 'a blade of grass'. Amazingingly the third usage is by far the earliest. Seen in many Germanic tongues, these all come from the Proto-Germanic bladaz meaning 'leaf' and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European bhle and bhel with the meaning 'to thrive, bloom' - ironic considering it is now used to describe a weapon.
Hilt is another part, not of a knife but of a sword or dagger. It would have followed these in the list were it not for the origins. This comes to us from Proto-Germanic helt and is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-Germanickel which oddly meant 'strike' - although this is the part which does not strike the opponent.
Sword has its origins in words which we would consider far more appropriate than that of 'blade'. Here Old English sweord, Old Frisian swerd, Old Swedish svard, Middle Dutch swaert, Dutch zwaard, Old High German swert, and German Schwert all come from Proto-Germanic swerdam which mean exactly what it does today. All these come from Proto-Indo-European swer meaning 'cut, pierce'. Just to confuse matters there is also an Old Saxon word heoru, also seen in the related Gothic hairus, both meaning 'sword' but neither etymology is understood.
Dagger came to English from Old French dague. Also seen in Old Provencal dague and Italian daga, these may have come from an early Latin daca and describe 'a Dacian knife' - Dacia being a region of Europe roughly centred on modern Romania and Moldova, with parts of Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Ukraine.
Gun is first defined as 'an engine of war that throws rocks, arrows or other missiles from a tube by the force of explosive powder or other substance', this from the 14th century and also seen in gonnilde in an inventory from Windsor Castle when referring to a cannon. Both have the same origin as the woman's name Gunilda, itself from Old Norse where gunnr and hildr both meant 'war, battle' - the first from Proto-Indo-European gwhen meaning 'strike, hit' and the latter sharing an origin with the female name 'Hilda' in Proto-Indo-European kel 'to strike, cut'. Throughout history it has been normal for large weapons of war to be given female names.
Rifle, in terms of weaponry, is a fairly recent development, getting its name from the rifling of the barrel. This cutting of a spiral groove in the barrel improved accuracy by spinning the projectile in flight. The word is seen referring to this cutting much earlier than the 17th century and weaponry. By the early 14th century it was used in the sense 'to plunder', while the original Old French rifler 'strip, filch, peel off, fleece' has been adapted to describe the cutting technique. Hence we find the alternative use of rifle in English as a synonym for 'pilfer' is older than the normal sense.
Cannon is of comparatively recent origin considering the length of time the weapon has been employed in war. It comes from the Italian cannone meaning 'large tube, barrel' and ultimately from the Latin canna and suggesting this represented something similar to 'a reed' or 'tube'.
Bullet is, as we would expect, another recent development. It comes from the Middle French boulette meaning 'small ball' and is a diminutive of boule, also seen in the game, and from the Latin bulla which could be used to mean 'round thing' or 'knob'.
Arrow may be from the Old English arwan, but this was not the normal term used by the Saxons who most often described it as strael and seen in Slavic and Germanic tongues where it meant 'flash, streak'. Ultimately the 'arrow' comes from Proto-Indo-European arku where it described 'the thing belonging to the bow'.
Bow refers to its shape, coming from Old English boga, a word also used to mean 'arch' and 'rainbow'. Ultimately these can be traced to Proto-Germanic bugon 'to bend', Proto-Indo-European bheug also 'to bend', and Sanskrit bhujati 'bends, thrusts aside'.
Bazooka has only been used to refer to the weapon since 1942. This was the name of a junkyard musical instrument used by comedian Bob Burns, and is thought to have suggested itself from the American slang 'bazoo' meaning 'mouth' or 'boastful' and in turn probably from the Dutch bauzin 'trumpet'
Bayonet is first seen in the early 17th century, said to be from the city of Bayonne in Gascony where they were first made.
Cutlass came to English from Middle French, itself from the Latin cultellus 'small knife' and ultimately from the Prroto-Indo-European kel 'to cut'.
Machete is quite badly named as it is derived from the Spanish machete, itself from macho or 'sledge hammer', and that from mazo or 'club'.
Spear has changed little through the many centuries since Proto-Indo-European sper meant 'spear' and also 'pole'. The latter meaning has come to modern English as 'spar'.
Bomb is first used in its modern sense in the late 16th century. This word originated in the Latin bombus or Greek bombos both describing 'a deep hollow sound'.
Dynamite was named by its inventor, Alfred Nobel, who took the name from the Greek dynamis meaning 'power'.
Grenade was once called a 'pomegranate', likening the fragmenting bomb to the seeds of the fruit - the fruit gets its name from pomum granatum or 'apple with many seeds'.
They spoke of a friend or acquaintance in hospital, apparently they were considering paying the patient a visit. It seems he (I say 'he' even though gender was never specified) had been in an altercation (hence my assumption of 'he') and managed to get himself stabbed. It didn't seem as if it was a particularly serious injury - and his acquaintances seemed quite convinced he had always had it coming to him - and asked the question "Why knife, though?" I assume they meant "Why a knife?" and were not questioning why the assaillant had not been armed with a gun, bow, grenade, or rolling pin. Yet I found my etymological mind thinking of the answer to the question they had actually asked. Thus this time I have produced a list of weapons and examined the origins of the words.
Knife seems the sensible place to start, although it did prove to be something of a disappointment for me as the origins were uncertain. The only early forms known were from the Germanic language group: Old English cnif, Middle Low German knif, Middle Dutch cniif, German kneif, Norse knifr, and all from the Proto-Germanic knibaz. None of these mean anything other than 'knife' used solely as a noun - the earliest written use of 'knife' as a verb is found as recently as 1865. Whislt this may be disappointing in one sense, it is quite the reverse in reality for it shows the age of the word referring to what must have been one of the first words ever coined for a tool. Thus it is simply because it is so old that the earliest sense is unknown.
Blade is used as a slang term for a knife, as well as describing something with a sharp edge, and also used to refer to a leaf as in 'a blade of grass'. Amazingingly the third usage is by far the earliest. Seen in many Germanic tongues, these all come from the Proto-Germanic bladaz meaning 'leaf' and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European bhle and bhel with the meaning 'to thrive, bloom' - ironic considering it is now used to describe a weapon.
Hilt is another part, not of a knife but of a sword or dagger. It would have followed these in the list were it not for the origins. This comes to us from Proto-Germanic helt and is ultimately from the Proto-Indo-Germanickel which oddly meant 'strike' - although this is the part which does not strike the opponent.
Sword has its origins in words which we would consider far more appropriate than that of 'blade'. Here Old English sweord, Old Frisian swerd, Old Swedish svard, Middle Dutch swaert, Dutch zwaard, Old High German swert, and German Schwert all come from Proto-Germanic swerdam which mean exactly what it does today. All these come from Proto-Indo-European swer meaning 'cut, pierce'. Just to confuse matters there is also an Old Saxon word heoru, also seen in the related Gothic hairus, both meaning 'sword' but neither etymology is understood.
Dagger came to English from Old French dague. Also seen in Old Provencal dague and Italian daga, these may have come from an early Latin daca and describe 'a Dacian knife' - Dacia being a region of Europe roughly centred on modern Romania and Moldova, with parts of Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary and Ukraine.
Gun is first defined as 'an engine of war that throws rocks, arrows or other missiles from a tube by the force of explosive powder or other substance', this from the 14th century and also seen in gonnilde in an inventory from Windsor Castle when referring to a cannon. Both have the same origin as the woman's name Gunilda, itself from Old Norse where gunnr and hildr both meant 'war, battle' - the first from Proto-Indo-European gwhen meaning 'strike, hit' and the latter sharing an origin with the female name 'Hilda' in Proto-Indo-European kel 'to strike, cut'. Throughout history it has been normal for large weapons of war to be given female names.
Rifle, in terms of weaponry, is a fairly recent development, getting its name from the rifling of the barrel. This cutting of a spiral groove in the barrel improved accuracy by spinning the projectile in flight. The word is seen referring to this cutting much earlier than the 17th century and weaponry. By the early 14th century it was used in the sense 'to plunder', while the original Old French rifler 'strip, filch, peel off, fleece' has been adapted to describe the cutting technique. Hence we find the alternative use of rifle in English as a synonym for 'pilfer' is older than the normal sense.
Cannon is of comparatively recent origin considering the length of time the weapon has been employed in war. It comes from the Italian cannone meaning 'large tube, barrel' and ultimately from the Latin canna and suggesting this represented something similar to 'a reed' or 'tube'.
Bullet is, as we would expect, another recent development. It comes from the Middle French boulette meaning 'small ball' and is a diminutive of boule, also seen in the game, and from the Latin bulla which could be used to mean 'round thing' or 'knob'.
Arrow may be from the Old English arwan, but this was not the normal term used by the Saxons who most often described it as strael and seen in Slavic and Germanic tongues where it meant 'flash, streak'. Ultimately the 'arrow' comes from Proto-Indo-European arku where it described 'the thing belonging to the bow'.
Bow refers to its shape, coming from Old English boga, a word also used to mean 'arch' and 'rainbow'. Ultimately these can be traced to Proto-Germanic bugon 'to bend', Proto-Indo-European bheug also 'to bend', and Sanskrit bhujati 'bends, thrusts aside'.
Bazooka has only been used to refer to the weapon since 1942. This was the name of a junkyard musical instrument used by comedian Bob Burns, and is thought to have suggested itself from the American slang 'bazoo' meaning 'mouth' or 'boastful' and in turn probably from the Dutch bauzin 'trumpet'
Bayonet is first seen in the early 17th century, said to be from the city of Bayonne in Gascony where they were first made.
Cutlass came to English from Middle French, itself from the Latin cultellus 'small knife' and ultimately from the Prroto-Indo-European kel 'to cut'.
Machete is quite badly named as it is derived from the Spanish machete, itself from macho or 'sledge hammer', and that from mazo or 'club'.
Spear has changed little through the many centuries since Proto-Indo-European sper meant 'spear' and also 'pole'. The latter meaning has come to modern English as 'spar'.
Bomb is first used in its modern sense in the late 16th century. This word originated in the Latin bombus or Greek bombos both describing 'a deep hollow sound'.
Dynamite was named by its inventor, Alfred Nobel, who took the name from the Greek dynamis meaning 'power'.
Grenade was once called a 'pomegranate', likening the fragmenting bomb to the seeds of the fruit - the fruit gets its name from pomum granatum or 'apple with many seeds'.
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