Words and their meanings
Occasionally I have cause to do a deep dive into word meanings.
Table of Contents
- Etymology
- First Words
- An Exploration of the Roots of English
- An Exploration of the Germanic Roots of English
Etymology
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Etymology is the study of the origin and history of words and their meanings. This word relates to the Ancient Greek words ἐτεός (eteós, in the sense of true, stable, real) and λογία (logía, in the sense of a descriptive account, a story), in other words, a real story.
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Love (…by love…love is holy, revered, admired, praised, desired)
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Way relates to the concept of a track, road, path, course, conduct, area or direction, often shaped by repeated movement. A track forms in the ground from frequent foot traffic (treads) or dragged objects (treks). This relates to the concept of road, which word derived from the riding of animals (sitting on them to travel, being carried), especially on horses, likened to the movement, motion and stirring of water, especially boiling water, (relating also to a confused fight or quarrel, and to water springing up). This less directly relates to a river (a rip in the earth) and sea inlets (an entryway into the sea). The word tread relates to trade and trade routes.
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Life relates to concepts of having life, remaining alive, preserving life, sustaining life, being alive, to having a body, to exist, to remain, to dwell, to stay, to reside, to inhabit, to stick (glue).
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True relates to the word tree in the sense that a tree is not easily moved, compared to a stone boundary marker for instance. It also strongly relates to a tree generally having the attributes of being upright, straight, vertical, and reliable in nature, especially evidenced when building structures a strong and upright post or wall are said to be ‘true’ and ‘supporting’. The etymology of ‘true’ also points to meanings like ‘standing’, ‘durable’, ‘faithful’ and ‘trustworthy’. Less directly the etymology touches concepts of ‘friend’ and ‘witness’ (evidenced by trees and standing stones as witnesses or ‘eyes’ to agreements and boundaries) and as a cover/covering. Possibly also relates to health in the sense of wishing someone to be as healthy (strong) as a tree, and also related to trees (and plants) bringing healing (and illness if misused). In short: reliable, faithful and trustworthy.
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False (to falsify) relates to the idea of deceiving someone, and the word fall(s) with the idea of causing someone to stumble by your lie (from the idea that they lie down unintentionally after stumbling), thus the extended concepts of a fallen body and association with death. Thus True and False are technically at right angles to one another, not opposites per se.
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Kill relates to the idea of striking (like a snake) or hitting or throwing or knocking down (all like an ox) (thus causing to be no longer able to stand upright but rather to fall and lie down permanently; incapacitated; unable to bear life; an irreversable lie).
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Murder unlawful or illegal killing, especially of a human.
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Hope as a concept means ‘confident expectation’ and relates to the idea of respectful acknowledgement of one’s duties and obligations, especially as owed to someone greater than you, prostrating one’s self to show this service.
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Man was originally (in Old English) not restricted to the concept of male; it meant human being in general. The Old English wer meant specifically ‘adult male’ (often also ‘husband’), and survives only in the mythological word were‑wolf. With the 1066 Norman invasion of England, the usage of the Germanic wer began to fade. Over time, the French/Norman person (from Latin persona) became popular to mean ‘human being’. Likewise man began to be used to also mean ‘male’, while keeping the original meaning of ‘human being’. Wer also carried the concept of permanence, in the sense of general responsibility and capability to provide security and maintenance. In law this permanence was expressed in expectations of fixed wergild values (the set compensation price for injury or death, varying by rank), oath‑taking, and compensation, with men expected to shoulder liability but also to exercise agency and authority.
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Woman derives from the meaning ‘wife‑human’ (wīfmann in Old English). Wīf originally meant ‘woman’ in general (later narrowing to ‘wife’), and when compounded with mann (‘human being’), it gave wīfmann → ‘woman’. Over time, wīfmann contracted to woman. The wīf element reflects relational identity — a role that shifted with life stage (maiden, wife, widow) — in contrast to the permanence of wer. Women were expected to live under guardianship and lacked independent legal standing, but were also expected to be protected through codified provisions such as dowry and dower rights (property or wealth secured for a wife’s maintenance, especially after widowhood), and heavy penalties for abduction or rape.
First words
For most children the first word they learn is relational, either to mother or father
- Ma - mother in many languages has an inward sucking type of sound.
- Pa - father in many languages has an outward plosive type of sound.
An exploration of the roots of English
One of the reasons that people find it difficult to learn English as a second language is that it is a blend of various other languages, which have each brought their own rules and grammar to the language. Many English words and grammar can be traced back to the Indo-European language family, a vast language group that includes languages as diverse as English, Sanskrit, Greek, Russian, German, Dutch, Swedish, and Icelandic.
A timeline of the English Language
Your proposed final form is very strong — it’s cohesive, historically accurate, and balanced in detail. Here’s a critique and polish pass to ensure it’s airtight:
✅ Strengths
- Chronology is clear and consistent. Each period flows logically into the next.
- Influences are well‑balanced. You’ve captured Celtic, Latin, Norse, French, and later global inputs without overloading.
- Corrections applied. PIE dating, “Angles” fixed, Irish vs Roman missions split, Danelaw grammar softened, Norman French lineage clarified, Great Vowel Shift contextualized.
- Concise but rich notes. Each entry has enough detail to be informative without overwhelming.
⚠️ Minor Refinements
- Roman Britain row:
- “Roman empire grew from Rome in modern italy” → capitalize Italy.
- Could tighten to: “Roman Empire grew from Rome, influenced by Celtic, Etruscan, and Greek cultures.”
- Irish Mission row:
- “Students came from as far away as Rome to learn” — true, but slightly anecdotal. You might phrase: “Irish schools attracted students from across Europe, including Rome.”
- Early Modern English row:
- The “house” example is excellent, but the phrasing “This has changed how Modern English is spoken generally” is a bit broad. Suggest: “This shift reshaped vowel pronunciation in Modern English.”
- Modern English row:
- You could enrich with vectors: “Colonial expansion, industrialization, mass media, and the internet accelerated English’s global spread.” This parallels the detail level of the Early Modern row.
A timeline of the English Language
| Period | Key Events | Linguistic Influences | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proto‑Indo‑European (c. 4500–2500 BC) | Hypothetical ancestral language | Little is known of Mesolithic and Neolithic era migrations and trade routes. | |
| Celtic Britain (500 BC – 43 AD) | Celtic tribes inhabit Britain | Celtic languages | The Celtic languages are Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic (Scotland), Manx (Isle of Man), Welsh (Wales), Cornish (Cornwall), Breton (Brittany in France), Gaulish (France, extinct), Lepontic (northern Italy, extinct) and Celtiberian (Spain and Portugal, extinct). The Celts in Britain had trade routes all across Europe. Rome was buying and selling in southern England well before the 43 AD invasion, bringing Latin words into Britain. |
| Roman Britain (43 – 410) | Roman conquest and occupation | Latin | Roman Empire grew from Rome, influenced by Celtic, Etruscan, and Greek cultures. |
| Anglo‑Saxon England (450 – 1066) | Anglo‑Saxon migration and settlement | Old English dialects | Anglo‑Saxon comes from three neighbouring tribes: Jutes (northern), Angles (central), and Saxons (southern). The Jutes from Jutland in Denmark settled in Kent and south‑east England. The Angles from Angeln, in northern Germany, settled in Anglia in north‑east England. The Saxons of Saxony, in northern Germany, settled in south and central England. |
| Irish Mission (c. 563 onwards) | Columba founds Iona; Irish monastic expansion | Old Irish, Latin (Church) | Irish monasteries influenced orthography and learning; missionaries spread scholarship across Britain and Europe. Golden Age of Irish monastic scholarship (6th–9th centuries). Irish schools attracted students from across Europe, including Rome. |
| Roman Mission (597 onwards) | Augustine sent by Pope Gregory to Kent | Latin (Church) | Anchored Roman Christianity in southern England; Canterbury became the seat of the Archbishop. Roman liturgy and ecclesiastical structures dominated after Synod of Whitby (664). |
| Norse Invasions (787 – 1066) | Viking raids and settlements | Old Norse | Old Norse had several dialects, including Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, and Old Danish. |
| Danelaw (865 – 954) | Viking settlement in eastern England | Old Norse | Norse loanwords entered everyday English (e.g. sky, egg, law); Norse contact may have accelerated simplification of grammar. |
| Norman Conquest (1066) | Norman invasion of England | Old French | Old French developed from common (Vulgar) Latin in Gaul, shaped by Celtic (Gaulish) and Germanic (Frankish) influences, with an additional Norse overlay from Viking settlers in Normandy. This gave Norman French distinctive vocabulary and phonological traits, which entered English after 1066 alongside the broader Romance influence. |
| Norman French Administration (post‑1066) | Norman elite rule | Old French, Latin | French dominated law, government, and aristocracy; Latin remained language of scholarship. |
| Middle English (1066 – 1500) | Linguistic blending and standardization | French, Latin, Greek, and other languages | Middle English was a crucial period in the development of modern English, as it marked the blending of Old English, Old French, and other languages, leading to the formation of a more standardized and flexible language. |
| Printing Press in England (1476) | Caxton establishes press | Middle English standardization | Helped fix spelling and spread London dialect as basis for standard English. |
| Early Modern English (1500 – 1700) | Renaissance, Age of Exploration | Latin, Greek, and languages from colonized territories | Printed material became more widespread. The Great Vowel Shift occurred in this period as a broad phonological change, reinforced by social factors: dialect mixing after the Black Death, prestige imitation of London and court speech, and lingering French influence. Speakers often adjusted their pronunciation to align with high‑status norms, while chain reactions within the vowel system preserved distinctions. For example, the word house was pronounced as hoos in Middle English, but now has the pronunciation howz. This shift reshaped vowel pronunciation in Modern English. |
| Modern English (1700 – Present) | Globalization, technological advancements | Diverse languages from around the world | English has become a global language, influenced by colonial expansion, industrialization, mass media, and the internet, alongside diverse cultural and linguistic inputs. |
An exploration of the Germanic roots of English
The Germanic language family, which includes English, German, Flemish and more, is a significant contributor to the English vocabulary. Words derived from Old English, a Germanic language, form the core of our everyday speech.
Germanic Prefixes and their related forms or meanings:
Germanic languages have also contributed significantly to English word formation through prefixes and suffixes:
- ge- (intensive or causative, a focal action, the process of forming like sense of cleaving): Gather, give, get, go, good, great
- be- (around, over): become, befall, begin
- ke- (also he-, this or here, a focus indicator). Here, hence, hither, (also there, thence, thither, where, whence, wither)
- pla- (flat): Plateau, plane, plain, placate, placard, plaudit
- sta- (to stand): Stand, statue, stature, steadfast, estate
- pat- (father): Pater, paternal, paternity, patron
- mat- (mother): Maternal, matrimony, matrix
- aqua- (water): Aquamarine, aquarium, aquatic
- break- (to break): Break, breakfast, outbreak, heartbreak
- come- (to come): Come, income, outcome, become
- luc- (light): Lucid, translucent, elucidate
- eat- (eat): Eat, eating, appetite
- for- (before, away): forget, forgive, forbid
- fōt- (foot): Foot, footpath, football
- gen- (to be born): Generate, genesis, genealogy, congenial
- hand- (hand): Hand, handmade, handy
- hear- (hear): Hear, heart, hearsay
- hold- (to hold): Hold, behold, withhold, uphold
- hous- (house, dwelling): House, household, housewife
- kin- (family, kin): Kin, kindred, kind, king
- land- (land, geography) land, landscape, landlord, landlady, landing, landslide
- mis- (wrong, bad): mistake, misfortune, mislead
- out- (beyond, outside): outside, outgo, outlaw
- terra- (earth): Terrestrial, territory, subterranean
- un- (not): unhappy, unkind, unable
- vid- (to see): Vision, evident, video, provide
Germanic Suffixes
- -dom (state, condition): kingdom, freedom, wisdom
- -er Agent (included for reference, discussed previously) baker, teacher, singer
- -est Superlative adjective (included for reference, related to -er) biggest, fastest, strongest
- -ful (full of): careful, beautiful, hopeful
- -ing (present participle): walking, singing, coming
- -less Without careless, hopeless, fearless
- -ly (in a certain manner, not purely Germanic): quickly, happily, slowly
- -ness (state or quality): happiness, kindness, weakness
- -ship (state, condition, office): friendship, lordship, workmanship
- -th Ordinal number first, fifth, tenth
- -ward Direction northward, eastward, homeward
- -wise Manner clockwise, lengthwise, otherwise
Germanic Doublets
An interesting phenomenon in English is the existence of doublets, pairs of words with similar meanings but different origins, often with one word being Germanic and the other Latinate.
- Friend/amicable: Both mean ‘friendly,’ but ‘friend’ is Germanic, while ‘amicable’ comes from Latin.
- Begin/commence: Both mean ‘start,’ but ‘begin’ is Germanic, while ‘commence’ is Latinate.
- Help/assist: Both mean ‘aid,’ but ‘help’ is Germanic, while ‘assist’ is Latinate.
- Ask/question: Both mean ‘inquire,’ but ‘ask’ is Germanic, while ‘question’ is Latinate.
- Strong/forceful: Both mean ‘powerful,’ but ‘strong’ is Germanic, while ‘forceful’ is Latinate.
More Germanic Root Words
- fader (father): father, fatherland, paternity
- moder (mother): mother, motherhood, maternal
- brodher (brother): brother, brotherhood, fraternal
- suster (sister): sister, sisterhood, sorority
- wind (wind): wind, windy, windmill
- water (water): water, watery, underwater
- fire (fire): fire, fiery, fireplace
Germanic Compounds
Germanic languages often form complex words by combining root words. This compounding process is evident in English as well:
- housewife: house + wife
- fireplace: fire + place
- shipbuilding: ship + building
- dreamland: dream + land
- starlight: star + light
Germanic Loanwords in Other Languages
Germanic languages have also influenced other languages:
- Dutch: gezellig (cozy)
- German: Kindergarten (kindergarten), Wanderlust (desire to travel)
- Scandinavian: saga (story)
- French: guerre (war), garde (guard)
- Italian: guerra (war), guancia (cheek)
Germanic Words in Everyday Life
Some common English words with Germanic origins:
- Body parts: arm, leg, eye, ear, nose, mouth
- Nature: sky, earth, hill, tree, river, stone
- Food: bread, cheese, meat, fish, butter, milk
- Everyday actions: go, come, sit, stand, sleep, wake
- Social interactions: friend, love, hate, laugh, cry, speak
Germanic Words in Literature and Poetry
Many powerful and evocative words in English literature have Germanic roots:
- Old English poetry: Beowulf contains a rich tapestry of Germanic words and poetic devices.
- Shakespeare: While Shakespeare borrowed from various languages, his work is filled with Germanic expressions.
Disclaimer: These are my opinion, generally based on many studies of known etymologies, but extending some meanings based on known historical cultural practices, etc.