The English Language - The Bastard

[Jack Field]

Hello one and all,

Here is my contribution to the great stock of literature and verse that has come to pass giving the English language it's gravity, it's genius, it's staying power.

Although the darling of world languages has its place firmly set in all far and distant corners of the world, and maintains its place at the highest levels of human existence, in government, in business and indeed in the farest of reaches of space unto which man hath dared to travel, its adventurous and remarkable history is one which needs to be investigated. So my question, to start this big fat ball rolling is,,,,,.......

What is the origin of the word.......

Spinach???????

[Richard Roman]

A pycnic - Shakespeare's way of spelling picnic

"I will meet with Hal at the pycnic at noon" (from henry V)

Pet - from Mongolian. Genghis Khan used to say pet-pat to his horse

[Jack Field]

Well done to Chris and Richard for giving it a go, i love it! I have been to that town Your Majesty, it specialises in producing a beer of the same name. Its going into receivership as anyone who is pissed can't really say what it was they are after. Thanks Laura. I did not know that - those cheeky french.

Ok - - the word of the day. Pet. As in, a domesticated animal. Where does it come from?

And the interesting word of the day. pyknic..... What does it mean?

[Laura Zhang]

ooh, the long words reminds me of "Da vinci Code". great novel, unsatisfactory movie.

the origin of the word BASTARD is
Middle English : via Old French from medieval Latin bastardus~~

[Richard Roman]

For those who are interested

[Richard Roman]

We want a word of the day!

[Chris Knight]

No fair, Jack. I did this word last year with my students. We were having a bit of fun, trying to find the longest word in the dictionary. It's a form of silicosis. A lung disease caused by fine volcanic silica dust. I even taught them supercalafragalisticexpialidocious.  Then we watched Mary Poppins. You could hear them walking down the hall singing the song. LOL

[CCF Beijing]

I believe spinach was first found in Wales in the small village of

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Not Wales proper but on the Welsh island of Anglesey.

[Richard Roman]

Lets break it down

pneumo  noultra  microscopic silico volcanoconiosis

Anyone any the wiser?

[Jack Field]

Well, well, well, i never knew that etymological discussions at Granpa's over a few, would culminate in such heightened interest as has been seen here thus far.

In keeping with the nerdy spirit, lets go to round two.

pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

What is it? Try and dissect the word to unravel its meaning before you run off and have it fed to you by that vexing vortex of vice - the internet.

Tally ho and good word hunting.

[Richard Roman]

etymology

late 14c., ethimolegia "facts of the origin and development of a word," from O.Fr. et(h)imologie (14c., Mod.Fr. étymologie), from L. etymologia, from Gk. etymologia, properly "study of the true sense (of a word)," from etymon "true sense" (neuter of etymos "true, real, actual," related to eteos "true") + -logia "study of, a speaking of" (see -logy). In classical times, of meanings; later, of histories. Latinized by Cicero as veriloquium. As a branch of linguistic science, from 1640s. Related: Etymological; etymologically.