I appreciate this article, because I remember being told many years ago, in a class on the history of the language, that there were two common words in English for which no etymology could be found - “dog”and “boy”.
Perhaps you could do a similar article on “boy” as well.
> And derogatory names can easily be applied ironically to something beloved. After enough time has passed, even a once-unkind term can become entirely generic.
I saw a discord post that said described a cutesy monster pouch as "dumb" and I foresaw a world where "dumb" became the default word for "cute". Seeing the future is truly a burden 😔
In Matthew chapter 15, Jesus tells a woman from Sidon, "it is not right to take food from the children and give it to the pet dogs." So there were doggies in the Greek Bible.
Great article! I remember the day I learned “dog” in Russian, and had a huge laugh thinking about how similar it was to “Chewbacca.” I have not heard of expressive lengthening before…does this principle extend to diminuitive suffixes, I wonder?
Also, I am wondering about the word “skylos” in demotic Greek
That's a good question about diminutive suffixes! Unfortunately no examples come to mind immediately but it wouldn't surprise me at all to find expressive lengthening in diminutive suffixes.
Re: Modern Greek σκύλος (skýlos), Ancient Greek also had a word σκύλαξ (skýlax), which meant young dog. But its etymology is also unclear. Are you sensing a pattern with these animal words?
Cambrinus is right: French "dogue" (and related words in Portuguese and other languages) are very likely borrowings from English. Mastiffs may have been associated with England at the time, hence the borrowing.
In German, "Dogge" is the word for boarhound/mastiff and relaxed races - all large and strong, and the very opposite of pet dogs, at least at first sight.
I first looked at this and thought, Goodness gracious. Another esoteric academic trying to convince us his arcane knowledge is both useful and snappy. I read it anyway. And then I subscribed. Your work here is incredibly well done, well-written, thought-provoking, and fun. Bravo, Colin!
Searching seems to think that cu became reserved for hunting dogs and other big majestic ones, so madra was for pets, herding, and less splendiferous ones. Parallel to hound/dog. I've no idea if this is correct, though. Rich people's dogs were cu, poor folk had to make do with madra.
My intuition says it is happenstance. Words are shape-shifting all the time. The small round hat you wear in chapel becomes “keppel” etc. Figurative expression becomes tomorrow’s words. I think “dog” possibly relates to the lower class hound and the animal’s characteristics - unruly savage wolves become submissive and subdued but perpetually persistent. Possibly a transferred epithet from behaviour to noun. Also, another idea is using a word close to the sound of dog - like duck 🦆. Dogs hunted ducks?
Yes, Cambrinus is right! The "chest" in "chestnut" is a form of that same root, coming into English (and its ancestors) twice: once into Proto-Germanic from Latin and again into Middle English from French.
Very interesting. So in the end, it's a like some dogs were called 'browny' and the name stuck to the whole kind ?
Beside, we have something a bit similar in French I guess. 'Goupil' is the old French word for a fox. Until a fox was named Renart the Goupil in a famous medieval novel and 'renard' (now written with a 'd') became the generic name for a fox.
I appreciate this article, because I remember being told many years ago, in a class on the history of the language, that there were two common words in English for which no etymology could be found - “dog”and “boy”.
Perhaps you could do a similar article on “boy” as well.
You're on!
Finnish might be a place to look (poika)
In Swedish it's pojke, probably related. Or Bursche from German.
I admire your dogged determination to get to the bottom of this mystery
I see what you did there and I approve
Isn't 'rabbit' another animal word without a clear ancestor?
You're right... I think we're going to need a sequel!
And 'moggy' for cat perhaps?
> And derogatory names can easily be applied ironically to something beloved. After enough time has passed, even a once-unkind term can become entirely generic.
I saw a discord post that said described a cutesy monster pouch as "dumb" and I foresaw a world where "dumb" became the default word for "cute". Seeing the future is truly a burden 😔
After such knowledge, what forgiveness?
In Matthew chapter 15, Jesus tells a woman from Sidon, "it is not right to take food from the children and give it to the pet dogs." So there were doggies in the Greek Bible.
Right! There "pet dog" is translating Greek κυνάριον, which is a diminutive version of κύων.
Great article! I remember the day I learned “dog” in Russian, and had a huge laugh thinking about how similar it was to “Chewbacca.” I have not heard of expressive lengthening before…does this principle extend to diminuitive suffixes, I wonder?
Also, I am wondering about the word “skylos” in demotic Greek
That's a good question about diminutive suffixes! Unfortunately no examples come to mind immediately but it wouldn't surprise me at all to find expressive lengthening in diminutive suffixes.
Re: Modern Greek σκύλος (skýlos), Ancient Greek also had a word σκύλαξ (skýlax), which meant young dog. But its etymology is also unclear. Are you sensing a pattern with these animal words?
σκύλος (skylos) in Ancient Greek meant ‘animal hide/skin’.
Thanks for this interesting and informative article.
I have a French Mastiff known as a Dogue de Bordeaux. Otherwise an uncommon word in French - derogatory as in ‘cur’, but slightly archaic I think.
Cambrinus is right: French "dogue" (and related words in Portuguese and other languages) are very likely borrowings from English. Mastiffs may have been associated with England at the time, hence the borrowing.
Thanks very much to both you and Cambrinus.
I shall have a talk to him tonight and explain the situation. Being a French dog he will not be happy with this news.
In German, "Dogge" is the word for boarhound/mastiff and relaxed races - all large and strong, and the very opposite of pet dogs, at least at first sight.
Oh autocorrect, don't you relax my related.
‘Dogue’ is probably borrowed from English.
I first looked at this and thought, Goodness gracious. Another esoteric academic trying to convince us his arcane knowledge is both useful and snappy. I read it anyway. And then I subscribed. Your work here is incredibly well done, well-written, thought-provoking, and fun. Bravo, Colin!
Thank you, Carl!
I wonder why Irish changed? A dog is still cú in Scottish Gaelic, its closest relative.
As far as I know, the Irish case is as mysterious as the English one! No one knows for sure where madra came from or why it (mostly) replaced cú.
Searching seems to think that cu became reserved for hunting dogs and other big majestic ones, so madra was for pets, herding, and less splendiferous ones. Parallel to hound/dog. I've no idea if this is correct, though. Rich people's dogs were cu, poor folk had to make do with madra.
Modern Irish speaker. Yes that's correct, Cú means a majestic hound and I would rarely use it outside of speaking about mythical or legendary dogs.
Gadhar would be a regular dog, Madra kind of means "mutt".
There's still a bit of derogatory connotation to dog when describing a man who sleeps with, or attempts to, as many women as possible.
I think of Norm Macdonald saying "You dirty dog..."
Although that can also be said in an admiring manner.
My intuition says it is happenstance. Words are shape-shifting all the time. The small round hat you wear in chapel becomes “keppel” etc. Figurative expression becomes tomorrow’s words. I think “dog” possibly relates to the lower class hound and the animal’s characteristics - unruly savage wolves become submissive and subdued but perpetually persistent. Possibly a transferred epithet from behaviour to noun. Also, another idea is using a word close to the sound of dog - like duck 🦆. Dogs hunted ducks?
Just veering off here but having fun 🤩
Thank you for this and other linguistic journeys. As always, fascinating. Your style is a blend of precision and fun, which makes for a great read.
Thank you very much!
Thank you! This is one of the words that made no sense to me. The other is chestnut (instead of a version of kastanj(a))
Yes, Cambrinus is right! The "chest" in "chestnut" is a form of that same root, coming into English (and its ancestors) twice: once into Proto-Germanic from Latin and again into Middle English from French.
But ‘chestnut’ is just a more recent form of the earlier ‘chastan-nut’.
so that is the similar root? I know nothing about languages...
See etymonline.com
“… emotionally charged words is sooooo common across languages that it has a technical term: expressive lengthening.”
Very good.
I seem to recall a German word, “Dogge” used for the bitch/mother when discussing a “Hündchen”’s lineage.
Funnily enough, German Dogge is a loanword from English (through Low German)!
Very interesting. So in the end, it's a like some dogs were called 'browny' and the name stuck to the whole kind ?
Beside, we have something a bit similar in French I guess. 'Goupil' is the old French word for a fox. Until a fox was named Renart the Goupil in a famous medieval novel and 'renard' (now written with a 'd') became the generic name for a fox.