Synonym Etymologies J

Continuing the look at synonyms through the eyes of the etymologist, this time it is the letter J and jump. The etymology of 'jump' is difficult to see, although it seems most often to be said to be related to a Gallo-Roman dialect word jumba 'to rock' or yumpa with the same meaning. This is largely based on the assumption the word was brought back to England following the Hundred Years War. Swedish gumpa 'to spring' and German gampen 'to hop' have been shown to be unrelated. Interesting to note that 'jump' as a euphemism for sexual intercourse dates from as early as 1630.

Leap is a very Germanic word and can be traced, and through nearly all Germanic languages, to the Proto-Germanic hlaupan. It is easy to see how other Germanic tongues have used this root to refer to 'running', Dutch lopen, Old Norse hlaupa, Old Frisian hlapa, Old Saxon hlopan being just a few examples. This is clearly the origin of the English word 'lope', a running gait with long strides. Note that 'leap' has been connected to 'bound' since at least 1720 and a fact which leads nicely on to the next word.

Bound came to English from Old French bondir, which was originally used to mean 'rebound' but more in the sense of 'echo' or even simply making a noise like the blare of a trumpet. Note that 'bomb' is from a similar root.

Hop is another of Germanic roots, words in Old Norse, Dutch, German, and Old English all ultimately from Proto-Germanic hupnojan with the same meaning. Note we were never 'hopping mad' before 1838, and research also revealed a stew of bacon, rice and peas known as Hopping-John from 1838.

Spring is also from a Proto-Germanic root, where sprengan has the same meaning. In fact all Germanic languages use 'spring' to refer to leaping upwards, and is the reason why the early growing season is known by the same word.

Bounce has been used in the modern sense since 1510, but also existed prior to that to mean 'thump, hit', which is almost what a ball does when it bounces.

Prance originated as a word describing horses in high mettle, and only used to refer to a strutting or bouncing gait from the late 18th century.

Senegal 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. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Senegalese cities.

Dakar is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The name hass been corrupted by the Europeans from the Wolof Ndakaarou which has been suggested to come from deuk raw meaning 'whoever settles here will be in peace' - nice sentiment despite the poor grammar.

Touba is from the Arabic Tuba meaning 'felicity' or 'bliss'. It is not only a reference to life in the hereafter but also the name of the tree of paradise.

Rufisque probably comes from the Portuguese Rio Fresco 'freshwater river'.

Ziguinchor is another misquoted Portuguese name, here Cheguei e choram meaning 'I came and they cry', a reference to the sight of the Europeans making the people think they were about to be taken as slaves.

Saint-Louis is named after 13th-century king of France, Louis IX who had been canonised, and also mentions the then French king of Louis XIV. The local name of Ndar comes from the Wolof tongue and means 'pasture'.

Richard Toll was named for the park of the Chateau de Baron Roger, this designed and laid out by the botanist Jean Michel Claude Richard, the French colony's chief gardener.

Linguere is the French version of the Wolof lingeer, meaning 'queen, princess' depending on the context.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Papua New Guinea 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. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look some of Papua New Guinea's names.

Finschhafen was founded in the late 19th century and named after its discoverer, the German scientist and explorer Otto Finsch, with the suffix hafen 'harbour'.

Mount Hagen is a city named after the old eroded volcano of Mount Hagen, itself from the German colonial officer Curt von Hagen.

Woodlark Island is named after the Australian whaling ship Woodlark captained by George Grimes in the 1830s.

Port Moresby was named by Captain John Moresby, the first European to see the place. However, it was named after his father Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby, who earned fame during the Napoleonic wars. It is the capital of a nation which has 851 different languages, of which 11 have no native speakers.

Rabaul is finally an example of a place named from the local language, where rabaul is the Kuanua for 'mangrove'.

Bougainville, correctly North and South Districts, were named after the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville, a famous Pacific explorer whose name is probably better known for the genus of flowing vines known as Bougainvillea.

Sandaun is from the Tok Pisin word for 'sun down' for it is located at the extreme west of the country.

Bismarck Archipelago and the Bismarck Sea were named to honour Chancellor Otto von Bismarck when the islands were under German rule.

Louisiade Archipelago were named for Louis XV the king of France when the French arrived here in 1768.

Fly River is named after the vessel commanded by Francis Blackwood, HMS Fly, an 18-gun sloop of the Royal Navy.

Markham River was named in 1873 by Captain John Moresby, to honour Sir Clements Markham, the then Secretary of the Royal Geographical Society.

Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.

Origins of Place Names: France

Over the last few years I have sampled several of my books on the origins of place names, all of which refer to those found in England. On occasions I have also looked at the etymologies of the nations of the world and followed up with their respective capitals. This only gave a glimpse into the origins of non-English place names and, with many overseas names being found on England's welcoming signs as a result of town twinning, I thought it time to look at the origins of the place names of other nations.

I decided to start with France. This was an arbitrary decision not influenced by anything etymological (although I was thinking about croque-monsieur moments earlier).

Paris was known to the Romans as Lutetia Parisiorum or 'Lutetia of the Parisii'. Here the Latin lutum 'clay' or perhaps 'mud-like' precedes the name of the local tribe, the Parisii a Gaulish people is either from a Celtic par 'ship' and a reference to those living and working on the Seine or from a word meaning 'border town' where, once again, the Seine is influential, this time in marking the border.

Marseille is first seen as Massalia, a Latin reference to a town founded by the Phoenicians about a millennium earlier and named after the Massili tribe. The tribal name is of uncertain origin but is thought to be based on the mas- element which probably meant 'spring'.

Lyon was known as Lugdunum by the Romans, a name featuring the Gaulish suffix dun 'fortress'. The first element has three possible origins: lugus meaning 'little'; the Celtic pagan god Lug; or Celtic lucodunos 'bright mountain'.

Toulouse on the River Garonne is first recorded as Tolosa, then the home of the Tolosates. The name has never been adequately explained but may take the Celtic tul as its first element, this meaning 'mountain'.

Nice was founded and named as the Greek colony of Nikaea, itself named after goddess of victory Nike.

Nantes was named after the Gaulish tribe Namneti, although their name has never been explained.

Strasbourg is as close to an English place name as we are likely to find in France. This is derieved from a Frankish name Strateburgum, linked to strasse 'street' and burg here used in the sense of 'town' and thus speaking of 'the town by the road'. This important way took traffic from the River Rhine and across the Vosges.

Montpellier is recorded in a document dated AD 975 as Mons pestellarius, Latin for 'woad mountain'. Doubtless it was named such as the blue dye was produced here.

Bordeaux was known as Burdigala to the Romans, itself taken from the Gaulish tribal name Bituriges Vivisci. AUnfortunately the origins of the tribal name are unclear.

Lille has finally given us a place name in France named from the French language. Here this is from Old French l'isle meaning 'the island' and a reminder of the city being founded as a fortress on a virtual island in the marshland.

Next time I shall move east and examine some German place names.