Etymology/Origins

What is the etymology of OK?

OK (or ok, o.k., O.K.) was once thought to be an abbreviation for Old Kinderhook, President Martin van Buren's nickname based on his birthplace of Kinderhook, New York, which became a rallying cry for him during his re-election campaign of 1840. However, the distinguished linguist Allen Walker Read, who did extensive research on this single word, clarified that OK first appeared as a jocular alteration of the initial letters of 'all correct' (i.e., orl (or oll) korrect) in 1839. President van Buren's use of OK was one in several steps toward making this an extremely popular word, the next being the naming of the O.K. Club, a Democratic club in New York City. The form okeh, representing its pronunciation, appeared in 1919, followed by okay in 1929. The origin of OK, which H.L. Mencken deemed "the most successful of Americanisms" has probably been more discussed than any other in American English, which prompted Dr. Read to research it and publish a series of articles in the journal American Speech (Durham, NC: Duke University Press) in 1963 and 1964. Cecil Adams, author of The Straight Dope series of books (New York: Ballantine), compiled a list of eight etymological theories that came about on behalf of OK, but there are dozens more.

What is the origin of pizza?

The common belief is that Italians invented pizza, but its origin goes back to ancient times in the Middle East. Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians, Armenians, Greeks and Romans, and other ancient cultures ate flat, unleavened bread cooked in mud ovens. The Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians were eating the bread topped with olive oil and native spices (what is today called focaccia). But Italy's version of the dish, especially from Naples, is the one we are familiar with - with tomato, cheese, and other toppings and seasonings. Supposedly, this pizza was first created by the baker Raffaele Esposito in Naples. His creation was immediately a favorite, and Esposito was called to make a pizza for the visit of King Umberto and Queen Margherita of Italy in 1889. The first known pizza shop was the Port 'Alba in Naples, which opened in 1830 and is still open today. Pizza spread to America, England, France, and Spain but it was little-known in these countries until World War II. In occupying Italian territory, many American and European soldiers tasted pizza. In America, Italian immigrants sold pizza in their stores and the first pizzeria was opened in 1905 by Gennuardo Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City. The origin of the word pizza is uncertain. It is Italian for 'pie' and may have come from Latin pix 'pitch' or Greek pitta.

What is the word history of hat trick?

The first use of this phrase was in cricket for the feat of a bowler who took three wickets with three successive balls, for which he would be presented with a new hat by the cricket club. Hat trick later came to be used for threefold feats in other sports such as horse racing, soccer, baseball, and hockey. In the British House of Commons, when a person secured a seat by placing their hat upon it, it was dubbed a hat trick. From that usage, it came to mean any trick with a hat, especially one performed by a magician.

Where does the word family come from?

The word family first referred to the servants of a household and then to both the servants and the descendants of a common ancestor. It comes from the Latin word familia, meaning 'household; household servants', which came from another Latin term famulus, or 'servant'. It was not until 1667 that the term was used specifically for the group of persons consisting of parents and their children. The word daughter is a very old English word, first recorded c. 1000 as dohtor. It descends from Old English and is related to words in many other Indo-European languages, such as Greek thugater. The modern spelling daughter was first used in a 16th century Bible and was popularized by Shakespeare. The word son is quite a bit older, found in Beowulf in 645. It also descends from Old English and is related to words in many other Indo-European languages, such as Greek huios. Mother is one of the surviving words from Anglo-Saxon (starting as modor), which are among the most fundamental words in English. Mother has many cognates in other languages, including Old High German muoter, Dutch moeder, Old Norse mothir, Latin mater, Greek meter, and Sanskrit mat. These words share an Indo-European root. Mother is one of the Anglo-Saxon nouns that has an Anglo-Saxon adjective as well as a Latinate adjective - motherly and maternal - and motherly also came from Old English (modorlic). Mom, a shortened form of momma, was recorded in 1894; momma was first used in 1884. Both are chiefly North American uses. Mamma and mama, created by children reduplicating an instinctive sound, are much earlier terms, showing up in the 1500s. In between came mommy (also North American in usage) in 1848, which was a variant of mammy (also 1500s). Father is derived from Latin pater and has cognates in many other languages; the word entered Old English as feder and foeder (among others).

What is the etymology of volcano?

The original word for volcano was vulcano (c. 1611) meaning 'burning mountain' from the Latin Vulcanus or Volcanus. Vulcan was the Roman god of fire and metalworking (son of Jupiter and Juno and corresponding to the Greek god Hephaestus) and the term volcano was first applied to Mt. Etna by the Romans; it was viewed as the seat of this God, the place where he forged thunderbolts that caused such eruptions. It was changed to volcano around 1690. A volcano is a vent in the earth's crust, usually a depression or crater atop a somewhat conical hill or mountain which contains molten or hot rock and steam that is ejected from the vent. There are types of volcano: mud, shield, and pseudo.

What is the origin of barbecue?

Barbecue is borrowed from Spanish barbacoa, a framework used for storing meat or fish that was to be dried or smoked, but also having a meaning as a framework on which one could sleep. The Spanish word came from the Arawak barbacòa, meaning 'a framework of sticks on posts', and referring to the framework of such a structure. The word entered English around 1697 with both the meat framework and bed meanings. By 1733, it was used to mean the device for roasting an outdoor meal of meat or fish and an entertainment event centered on this activity and then, by 1764, the meal itself. In English, the word has been spelled: barbecu, borbecu, barbicue, barbacue, barbecue, babracot - and now barbeque and the phonetic rendition Bar-B-Q, which is sometimes used by restaurants and food manufacturers.

What is the etymology of nickname?

The history of this word - for a familiar or humorous descriptive name given to a person, place, or thing - also tells us a bit more about the history of names in general. Nicknames were used in ancient Greece and Rome, especially in an affectionate way for children. In Anglo-Saxon times, surnames did not exist and nicknames were used to help identify a person. Originally, these were called ekenames, as eke meant 'also or added; additional'. In writing, the term an ekename at some point became incorrectly divided and the n from an was split off and added to ekename, becoming first nekename (and neke name) and eventually, nickname (c. 1674). In Europe, surnames began to be used in the 12th century, but it took several centuries before the majority of Europeans had surnames. The primary purpose of the surname was to further distinguish people from one another. By the 13th century, about a third of the male population was named William, Richard, or John. To uniquely identify them, people began referring to different Williams as "William the son of Andrew" (leading to Anderson), "William the cook" (leading to Cook), "William from the river" (leading to Rivers), or "William the brown-haired" (leading to Brown). Eventually these surnames became inherited. Surnames derived from nicknames include ones like White, Young, and Long

Where did the word car come from?

Car first came into Middle English as carre, from French and earlier from Latin carrus 'wheeled vehicle', and it first meant a carriage, chariot, cart, wagon, truck, or other conveyance. From the 16th to 19th centuries, the word was mainly used in poetry to describe any vehicle used in a solemn or dignified procession, as those concerned with pageantry, in times of triumph, or in war. The word was mainly used in relation to vehicles traveling on railways until it was transferred to automobiles around 1896. Other words related to car include career, cargo, caricature, carry, charge, and chariot.