vocabulary ch. 9 ORIGINS // english 11

recalcitrant

“Recalcitrant” was used to refer to the defiant kicking back of an unmanageable horse or mule. Novelist William Thackery introduced the word into English.

pinnacle

The Latin penna (feather, wing), attributed to “pinnacle” that referred to a small wing-like projection above the tower or roof of a building. “Pinnacle” came to mean the highest physical point or the highest metaphorical point in one’s success.

siren

From their island, Sirens would attract passing ships with alluring melodies and words that were humanly irresistible. Many sailors would abandon their ships to swim to the Sirens’ island and spend the rest of their lives captivated by their song. Odysseus’ men, however, survived this trap by placing wax in their ears as to not hear the Siren melodies. They were able to safely sail past the island. From these Sirens, “siren” came to refer to both a device producing a loud warning signal as well as a dangerously attractive woman.

Adonis

In love, Aphrodite sprouted flowers from the blood of her rather handsome lover, Adonis, after he was attacked by a huge-tusked boar. Shakespeare went on to give his version of this love affair in his long narrative poem Venus and Adonis. Today, we may refer to someone exceptionally handsome, a lifeguard, singer, or actor as an Adonis.

tally

Long before computers, people used to calculate with sticks and stones. One ancient method for loans involved notching a piece of wood with the amount of the loan and split it lengthwise. The lender and borrower each kept half, and matching halves would need to be confirmed upon transaction. Up until the 19th century, the English government used this method, calling these wooden pieces “tallies” or “Tally sticks.” “Tally” also means match, agree, and correspond.

bizarre

“Bizarre” is believed to come from the Basque word bizar for “beard.” Basque, unrelated to any known language, is a language of an ancient people inhabiting southern France and northern Spain around the mountainous Pyrenees border. Presumably, the Basques thought their own beards handsome while the French found Basque beards peculiar. Hence, the French referred to the Basques as “bizarre,” with the word eventually acquiring the meaning of “odd” or “fantastic.”

remorse

The sense of being eaten or gnawed at can be seen in the Latin source of “remorse,” re (again) and mordere (bite).

spurious

“Spurious” first entered English referring to illegitimate birth, then was extended to describe anything of illegitimate or irregular origin, and finally came to have the general meaning of false, fake, or counterfeit.

fervent

From Latin fervere (boil), fervent is hot like stew in the sense of intensity or earnestness, or of passion, as when we fervently support a cause or give a fervent speech.