English is a mutt and it’s the best thing. I love dives like this, into the history of a language. Well, at least this one.
Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? by John McWhorter — Aeon
Tag: etymology
Laconic (adj.) – Online Etymology Dictionary
I never knew the word was connected with the Spartans. Awesome:
“concise, abrupt,” 1580s, probably via L. Laconicus, from Gk. Lakonikos, from Lakon “person from Lakonia,” the district around Sparta in southern Greece in ancient times, whose inhabitants were famously proud of their brevity of speech. When Philip of Macedon threatened them with, “If I enter Laconia, I will raze Sparta to the ground,” the Spartans’ reply was, “If.”
One source of this story is Plutarch’s On Talkativeness.
Say What?: An Interview with Etymonline.com’s Douglas Harper | David C. Carver | Drunken Koudou
Copacetic – Online Etymology Dictionary
We’re not quite sure where “copacetic” came from.
1919, but it may have origins in 19c. Amer.Eng. Southern black speech. Origin unknown, suspects include Latin, Yiddish (cf. Heb. kol b’seder), Italian, Louisiana French (coupe-sétique), and Native American. None is considered convincing by linguists.
While I’m on the topic, I should mention that the Online Etymology Dictionary is one of my favorite sites ever. I usually make a couple visits every day.
Copacetic – Online Etymology Dictionary
Music = dye
I’ve been listening to more Indian classical music lately, so I was reading about ragas, these traditional musical forms that guide how you play and develop a piece. Instructions for creating a mood, if I can semi-ignorantly generalize. And take a look at the etymology…
Raga. 1788, from Sanskrit raga-s “harmony, melody, mode in music,” literally “color, mood,” related to rajyati “it is dyed.”
I like this idea of music as a “dye” for the mind.
Mark Larson 