November Goals

Well, today’s it. If not now, then sometime in the next few days we’ll learn which party will win, the wishy-washy morons who can’t get anything done, or the ones who actually want me dead. Yes, I’m hoping for the morons who are actually held accountable for their misdeeds and aren’t actively hurting people.
 
Whatever. Goals.
 
October Goals
1. I’d like to get another 30K down in my new project.
Yes, I did this. I’d be more excited if I wasn’t terrified of death.
 
2. Hopefully find some time to edit an old project.
Did not have time for this. Too busy. Worrying takes up a lot of time.
 
3. Actually get back to editing my last WIP.  Not sure I’ll have time though.
Wanted to, but I wanted to distract myself from the horror more. You know how it is.
 
Not particularly successful. It’s been a tough month.
 
November Goals
1. Get to editing my old WIP. Seriously this time.
 
2. Find some time to write something. I guess.
 
3. Thanksgiving. Maybe it’ll be fun this year. But probably not.
 
Kind of sucks that conservatives are so awful to others. I wish people were nicer, but fat chance of them actually caring about those who don’t fit their mold.

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part VIII

Back again, somehow still looking at the Proto Indo European per-, forward. Now for all the words with F in them! That could be spooky for Halloween.

Okay, maybe not.
 
First is fore (also for, but I already etymologized that word). It comes from the Old English fore, which means… before. Not expecting any shocking revelations here. It’s from the Proto Germanic fura, which is then from the Proto Indo European prae-, from per-, just with an F instead of a P because that happens with a lot of words. Fore was a lot more common before it was replaced by before, which is from the Old English beforan, which also means before. The be- is actually from by and the rest from the Proto Germanic forana, which has fora as a verb form and is then from per-. Fore was before before.
 
Far comes from the Middle English fer, Old English feor, and Proto Germanic ferro, from per-. Then we have farther, which showed up in the late fourteenth century, and it’s actually from further. Further was furðer/forðer in Old English, which is either forth + -er or fore + -ther. Fore we just looked at. Forth is from the Old English forð, which is also just from fore. Not a big leap here.
 
And you know what other word is closely related? Afford. It comes from the Middle English aforth and Old English geforðian, to put forth, and yes, the ge- really turned into an a- here and means on or onto. The rest is from forð, just like forth. Afford is to forth onto. No, I don’t get it either. Apparently, after it started as “to put forth” in Old English, it started to mean accomplish, which then in English started to mean to have enough money for something. That… doesn’t really clarify things.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
University of Texas at Arlington
Tony Jebson’s page on the Origins of Old English
Old English-English Dictionary

From The Spamfiles

What’s this? A bonus Tuesday? More spam!

I like how there’s absolutely no indication as to what company this is offering me “membership”. For all I know it’s some sort of terrorist organization.

I do indeed want to load all generative AI creators and users into a rocket and then send the rocket into the fire of the sun.

I love how there are three gigantic warning flags just in this short message: 1. All the emojis; 2. Direct deposited (eye roll); and 3. The fact that they don’t get the comma in the right place in the dollar number. If you’re falling for this, you need help.
 

Even shorter than the last one and with twice as many red flags. Kudos.

Just loved how this was on my last Spamfiles post. Very appropriate.

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part VII

We’re still doing this? Yes, it seems so, as there are many more words that come from the Proto Indo European per-, forward. It’s long past time for these to start getting weird.
 
First, a word that at least has per- in it. Impervious showed up in the mid seventeenth century from the classical Latin impervius, which, you know, just means impervious. The in- means not or opposite of here, and pervius means accessible or allowing things to pass through. If you break it down further, the per- is from per-, while the -vius is from via, road or way. Impervious is not passing through.
 
There’s also reciprocal, which has pro- in it so is obviously related. It showed up in the later sixteenth century from the classical Latin reciprocus, another word we need to break down. Re- means back, and -cus was stuck at the end to make it an adjective, then procus, which is pro (forward) and another -cus. Reciprocal is forward and back. Hm, these aren’t as weird as I thought.
 
Okay, former has to be weird. It showed up in the mid twelfth century from the Old English forma, which actually means first. That’s from the Proto Germanic fruma/furma, which is then from the Proto Indo European pre-mo-, from per-. Since one of per-’s definitions is first, former is first. Damn, that’s not weird at all.
 
Well, profane should be fun. It showed up as a verb in the late fourteenth century and an adjective in the mid fifteenth. It’s from the Old French profaner/prophaner and classical Latin profanare, to desecrate. Obviously the pro- comes from per- and means before, but the rest? That’s from the Latin fanum, temple or sanctuary. So profane is… before a temple. Well, at least this one’s weird.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
Google Translate
Omniglot
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
Tony Jebson’s page on the Origins of Old English
Old English-English Dictionary

All That Remains

Interesting things don’t often happen around here.

Hey, I don’t make fun of her hobbies.

Language Of Confusion: Per-, Part VI

There’s still more to look at from the Proto Indo European per-, forward. Quite a lot more, actually.
 
First, we’re going to look at prompt, which showed up in the mid fourteenth century as a verb, then the early fifteenth century as a noun and adjective. It comes from the classical Latin promptus, prompt or ready, which is from the verb promere, to bring forth. The pro literally means forward (from per-, of course), and the rest is emere, to take. Prompt is to take forward. I’m not sure if that makes sense or if my brain broke.
 
There’s also protest, which I believe I looked at with test words a very long time ago. It showed up in the fifteenth century meaning a pledge or declaration, then meaning a statement of disapproval in the eighteenth century, then a formal declaration of being against something in the nineteenth, and finally what we use it for in 1942—that recently! It’s from the Old French protest (not at all surprised protest is French), with the pro meaning forth or before, and the rest meaning testify. A protest is testifying before. I guess.
 
Next, how about prophet, which is very old, having shown up in the late twelfth century. It’s from the Old French prophete/profete and classical Latin propheta, and they of course took it from the Greek prophetes. Pro again means before, while the rest is from the Greek phanai, to speak. Prophets speak forward.
 
Prodigal showed up in the sixteenth century meaning lavish or wasteful, from the French prodigal and Late Latin prodigalis. That’s then from the classical Latin prodigus, lavish, with the pro- meaning forth, and the rest from the verb agere, to set in motion or act. Not sure how it got to lavish and wasteful from there, but apparently it did.
 
Finally today: approximate. It showed up as a verb in the fifteenth century and an adjective two centuries later, from the Late Latin approximatus, and its verb form approximare, to come near to. The a- comes from ad-, to, and the rest is the classical Latin verb proximare, to approach. That’s then from prope, near, from the PIE propro, on and on, from per-. And that’s how on and on leads to approximate.
 
Sources
Online Etymology Dictionary
Google Translate
Omniglot
University of Texas at Austin Linguistic Research Center
University of Texas at San Antonio’s page on Proto Indo European language
Orbis Latinus

From The Spamfiles

Spam week! Let’s see how they’re trying to scam me now.

So much to get into here. Honestly, the “days” thing is an annoying mistake, but I am offended at the use of n apostrophe in place of and.

…Just how old do you think I am?

I don’t remembering entering all these contests where I’ve won an toolset, but they just keep coming in.

Wow! I was selected to received a direct deposited of $750 from an app I never even signed up for! Miraculous!

The most annoying part of this is that Virtual Starlight Kid sounds like a real Tumblr name, and I wish it was mine.