Sure. I'm interested in the common etymology of whore and charity. Also, interesting that the Latin for prostitute and mercenary are female and male derivations for "working for pay". And both seem to have considered low or lower status.
Technology gives us some wonderful oddities in the area of initialisms and acronyms.
Nobody tells you which ones we pronounce (e.g., SCSI is "scuzzy") and with ones we spell out (e.g., TCP/IP is not "tkpip" or "tee cee pip"). You say more "ram" for your cee-pee-you if you want to run "see qul" data bases, but you write more RAM for your CPU if you want to run SQL.
They act as shibboleths, don't they? If you're a member of the community, you know which ones are which. And if you're not, you'll quickly out yourself by saying something a bit wrong!
In English, the alphabet comes from the first two letters of the (Greek?) language.
In French, it is simpler to see. Their word for "alphabet," abcdaire, (pronounced "ah-bey-say-daire") is the first four letters of the French alphabet.
Couldn't help but wonder if many of the 19th and early 20th century acronyms came from telegraphy - no doubt a technology which caused economy of spelling advantageous. In a related technology were/are stock
Market ticker symbols. I recall in the 1950s my dad taking me to the stock broker’s and being taught many of the big company symbols - the three letter new upcomers and the prestigious one or two letter established old timers. (T for telephone; X for US. Steel) Today we see a similar technology impetus behind text speak which likely was driven even more so by “thumb” typing on tiny smartphone keyboards and the dreaded 1-3 strokes per letter on ten key number pads. Today we hear people insert LOL or TMI into spoken conversation.
That's a really interesting point, re: texting. Two different technologies, separated by more than a century, imposed the same kind of limitation on character count and led to the same kinds of innovations.
This may be of interest to you: in Spanish we use “led”, pronounced as an acronym, for LED (“light-emitting diode”). A somewhat reverse case is the old DOS operating system, which is spelled out in Spanish instead of saying “dos” like in English.
I've also heard in Spanish "ipa" (pronounced as an acronym) for the type of beer English pronounces as an initialism. Not sure if that's universal though.
2) In re: charity coming from the word whore (which I do want to know about - Etymonline doesn't help) gives an interesting twist to the musical "Sweet charity"
Modern Hebrew (and maybe other semitic languages) goes next level with initialisms, turning them into verbal roots and full sets of associated words.
Since no one has tried their handat it yet, this is my guess at the relationship between "charity" and "whore", probably from a pIE root *kar-, which becomes:
- proto-Germanic *xɑr- > *hor- (later spelled with ⟨wh-⟩)
- Latin car- > Old French char- → English char-
One thing I haven't worked out is the vowel length, but that's what I got.
We have a winner! The vowel length is from the a-colouring laryngeal in a post-vocalic position in the PIE form *kéh₂ros (the root is *kéh₂-). I'll do a full write-up about this at some point.
I've always been suspicious of posh, allegedly Port Out, Starboard Home. Far more likely a variant on plush. Posh FEELS fat and luxurious in the mouth.
Initialisms were big in the 30s when many secretaries wrote and transcribed cables using telegraph terminology. Young women have always been a primary shaper of language, from telegrams to Instagram.
Bede wrote that work in Latin; it was later translated into Old English, but the Latin phrases that Bede uses are also translated as things like "æfter Drihtnes menniscnysse" (after the Lord's incarnation).
Bede may also have been responsible for the first use of zero in the Roman numeral system. He used N for Nulla to mark the starting entry in astronomical tables used for determining future Easter dates. A zero marker really wasn't needed in most Roman calculation.
I very confidently told someone a few weeks ago that there was no way a particular word came from an acronym, and it was definitely an urban legend, and almost no words in English come from acronyms, only it turned out they were right. It was "Pakistan", sigh.
Interesting article, thank you for writing, I will still never tell anyone that ever again in my shame haha
I had no idea that Fuck was thought to be an acronym in some quarters. Here in the less than sunny English Midlands (I live not far from Uttoxeter; just across the border in Derbyshire), we have always thought of the term as a fine example of unadulterated Anglo-Saxon.
The OED informs me that the term is indeed Germanic, related to the Dutch fokken: to strike, to have sexual intercourse with, to grow and cultivate. I also note that the term was present in English surnames in my neck of the woods as early as the 13th century. For example: Fukkbotere, Fuckbegger and the rather impressive Fuckbythenavele; though I have some difficulty imagining what this latter actually involved. These names are, according to the OED, probably comparable to the Anglo-Norman 'Butevilein' (to strike the churl or wretch).
The OED entry for the verb notes rather sniffily '. . . esp in early use, with a man as the subject of the verb.' How shocking.
I was especially impressed by the solemn manner in which the OED presents this information. Having studied with a young lady who went on to become an OED lexicologist (the dream job of all time, I reckon), I know the truth of the matter.
Oh wonder how the Fuckbeggers and Fuckbythenaveles disappeared? One day the last Mr Fuckbegger decided that he'd rather be Mr Smith (...or his future wife informed him that they have no intention of becoming Mrs Fuckbegger?) and we lost those beautiful surnames!
I suspect it had something to do with the, probably gradual, change in the salience of two main meanings of the term: to beat or strike and to have sexual intercourse with. I also suspect that the Puritans, or the growth in puritanical attitudes in late Elizabethan times, had something to do with it.
Although the names have certainly died out on this side of the pond, I hold out hope that somewhere in the vastness of the New World there is a remote tribe of Anglos who hold fast to their treasured family name. JD Vance's heimat, perhaps?
This cannot be right. I know that “posh” comes from Port Out Starboard Home from the song in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There can be no higher authority!
Sure. I'm interested in the common etymology of whore and charity. Also, interesting that the Latin for prostitute and mercenary are female and male derivations for "working for pay". And both seem to have considered low or lower status.
And then, if you go into French, soldier also has a similar etymology!
Another good one! And I believe "qwerty" and "modem" meet your criteria....
Thank you!
Technology gives us some wonderful oddities in the area of initialisms and acronyms.
Nobody tells you which ones we pronounce (e.g., SCSI is "scuzzy") and with ones we spell out (e.g., TCP/IP is not "tkpip" or "tee cee pip"). You say more "ram" for your cee-pee-you if you want to run "see qul" data bases, but you write more RAM for your CPU if you want to run SQL.
They act as shibboleths, don't they? If you're a member of the community, you know which ones are which. And if you're not, you'll quickly out yourself by saying something a bit wrong!
futhorc reminds me of other similar initialisms.
In English, the alphabet comes from the first two letters of the (Greek?) language.
In French, it is simpler to see. Their word for "alphabet," abcdaire, (pronounced "ah-bey-say-daire") is the first four letters of the French alphabet.
Abecedary is a perfectly good, if now very obscure, English word.
The lexicographer Kory Stamper summed it up succinctly and memorably: "Acronymic etymologies are, by and large, total horsesh*t."
https://korystamper.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/answers-i-wish-i-could-send-etymology-edition/
:)
Couldn't help but wonder if many of the 19th and early 20th century acronyms came from telegraphy - no doubt a technology which caused economy of spelling advantageous. In a related technology were/are stock
Market ticker symbols. I recall in the 1950s my dad taking me to the stock broker’s and being taught many of the big company symbols - the three letter new upcomers and the prestigious one or two letter established old timers. (T for telephone; X for US. Steel) Today we see a similar technology impetus behind text speak which likely was driven even more so by “thumb” typing on tiny smartphone keyboards and the dreaded 1-3 strokes per letter on ten key number pads. Today we hear people insert LOL or TMI into spoken conversation.
Apologies for not editing this better- too early, up too late.
That's a really interesting point, re: texting. Two different technologies, separated by more than a century, imposed the same kind of limitation on character count and led to the same kinds of innovations.
This may be of interest to you: in Spanish we use “led”, pronounced as an acronym, for LED (“light-emitting diode”). A somewhat reverse case is the old DOS operating system, which is spelled out in Spanish instead of saying “dos” like in English.
I've also heard in Spanish "ipa" (pronounced as an acronym) for the type of beer English pronounces as an initialism. Not sure if that's universal though.
Ah, yes, we definitely do that where I'm from. It took me by surprise when I visited because IPAs weren't a thing when I left.
Two things:
1) On SNAFU (G-d knows why I remember this) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq-If5vVvcc
2) In re: charity coming from the word whore (which I do want to know about - Etymonline doesn't help) gives an interesting twist to the musical "Sweet charity"
Modern Hebrew (and maybe other semitic languages) goes next level with initialisms, turning them into verbal roots and full sets of associated words.
Yes! I want to know about charity and whore. All I could find was charity->diligence->public stage coach (Fr.) [carosse de diligence]
Could you imagine my disappointment when I got to the end of the article and RSVP wasn't even mentioned once :D
Well written and very informative piece!!!
Thank you!
but you don’t pronounce “RSVP” as a word like “rusvup”. you say all the letters separately. so not an acronym.
Believe it or not, British whimsy does occasionally allow for this.
that’s a way of looking at it. :)
Since no one has tried their handat it yet, this is my guess at the relationship between "charity" and "whore", probably from a pIE root *kar-, which becomes:
- proto-Germanic *xɑr- > *hor- (later spelled with ⟨wh-⟩)
- Latin car- > Old French char- → English char-
One thing I haven't worked out is the vowel length, but that's what I got.
We have a winner! The vowel length is from the a-colouring laryngeal in a post-vocalic position in the PIE form *kéh₂ros (the root is *kéh₂-). I'll do a full write-up about this at some point.
Didn't know about the canola acronym! Cool. That's the story I'll whip out at my next party.
I've always been suspicious of posh, allegedly Port Out, Starboard Home. Far more likely a variant on plush. Posh FEELS fat and luxurious in the mouth.
Initialisms were big in the 30s when many secretaries wrote and transcribed cables using telegraph terminology. Young women have always been a primary shaper of language, from telegrams to Instagram.
From telegrams to Instagram... that's brilliant!
I’ve always thought that the Venerable Bede was the first user of A.D. in his The Ecclesiastical History of the English People.
Bede wrote that work in Latin; it was later translated into Old English, but the Latin phrases that Bede uses are also translated as things like "æfter Drihtnes menniscnysse" (after the Lord's incarnation).
Thanks for that. You never stop learning. Something new each day. 😀
You're welcome!
Bede may also have been responsible for the first use of zero in the Roman numeral system. He used N for Nulla to mark the starting entry in astronomical tables used for determining future Easter dates. A zero marker really wasn't needed in most Roman calculation.
I very confidently told someone a few weeks ago that there was no way a particular word came from an acronym, and it was definitely an urban legend, and almost no words in English come from acronyms, only it turned out they were right. It was "Pakistan", sigh.
Interesting article, thank you for writing, I will still never tell anyone that ever again in my shame haha
I had no idea that Fuck was thought to be an acronym in some quarters. Here in the less than sunny English Midlands (I live not far from Uttoxeter; just across the border in Derbyshire), we have always thought of the term as a fine example of unadulterated Anglo-Saxon.
The OED informs me that the term is indeed Germanic, related to the Dutch fokken: to strike, to have sexual intercourse with, to grow and cultivate. I also note that the term was present in English surnames in my neck of the woods as early as the 13th century. For example: Fukkbotere, Fuckbegger and the rather impressive Fuckbythenavele; though I have some difficulty imagining what this latter actually involved. These names are, according to the OED, probably comparable to the Anglo-Norman 'Butevilein' (to strike the churl or wretch).
The OED entry for the verb notes rather sniffily '. . . esp in early use, with a man as the subject of the verb.' How shocking.
Brilliant! And I want to thank you for providing those spectacular surnames!
I was especially impressed by the solemn manner in which the OED presents this information. Having studied with a young lady who went on to become an OED lexicologist (the dream job of all time, I reckon), I know the truth of the matter.
Oh wonder how the Fuckbeggers and Fuckbythenaveles disappeared? One day the last Mr Fuckbegger decided that he'd rather be Mr Smith (...or his future wife informed him that they have no intention of becoming Mrs Fuckbegger?) and we lost those beautiful surnames!
I suspect it had something to do with the, probably gradual, change in the salience of two main meanings of the term: to beat or strike and to have sexual intercourse with. I also suspect that the Puritans, or the growth in puritanical attitudes in late Elizabethan times, had something to do with it.
Although the names have certainly died out on this side of the pond, I hold out hope that somewhere in the vastness of the New World there is a remote tribe of Anglos who hold fast to their treasured family name. JD Vance's heimat, perhaps?
This cannot be right. I know that “posh” comes from Port Out Starboard Home from the song in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. There can be no higher authority!