October Goals

Somehow it’s October already, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get anything done I was supposed to. It’s not even winter yet and I already feel like I’m hibernating.
 
September Goals
1. Keep writing my new project to what I think will end up being the end of the first part.
I didn’t get to the end, as it was slower going than I hoped. I only have about a chapter and a half left, though, so fingers crossed.
 
2. Figure out how to engage more readers. Ugh, I am so very, very bad at this.
Very minor progress. Almost invisible. But I am working on it.
 
3. Actually get to the beta notes and edits. I fear I won’t, but I won’t let myself forget about it.
PBBBBBBBBBHHHHHHHHHHTTTTTT no.
 
Ugh, maybe I’d have more energy to do this stuff if I wasn’t so tired all the time. Anyway, now for this month…
 
October Goals
1. Finish!!!!!
 
2. Seriously actually get to the beta notes this time, even if I don’t know what I’m going to do with this project.
 
3. Crud, it’s time to update my etymology page, isn’t it? This is always such an ordeal.
 
I remember the days when updating my etymology page was an easy item to check off. I really wish we could go back to the previous version of Blogger, but alas, it is out of reach.
 
What do you want to do this month?

Deception

Why don’t they poison flavored yogurt? It would taste better!

The peach packaging looks almost exactly the same as the pumpkin spice. And let me tell you, there are very few things I hate more than the taste of pumpkin spice.

Language Of Confusion: Ter, Part II

This week, more words from the Proto Indo European root ters-, to dry, and it’s starting to get weird.

Okay, weirder.
 
First, the ones that kind of makes sense. Tureen isn’t really used much these days so you might not know it means an earthen vessel. It showed up in the early eighteenth century from the French terrine, same meaning, from the Old French therine. That’s from the Gallo Roman terrinus, from the classical Latin terrenus, of the earth, and that’s from terra, which is from ters-.
 
Thirst comes from the Old English þurst, which is thirst with a different symbol for the th sound. It comes from the Proto Germanic thurstu-, and that’s from ters-, and when you’re thirsty, you’re dry, right? Also I think this is the only example of the Germanic descent of ters- as opposed to the much more abundant Latin. Clearly it wasn’t as possible with the old Germanic languages.
 
Next is another word that I can see work: toast. It showed up in the late fourteenth century from the Old French toster, from the Vulgar Latin tostare and classical Latin torrere, to roast. Of course that’s from ters-, as toasting something means drying it out more. And for the record, to toast as in to drink for someone showed up in the late seventeenth century (though the custom is much older and originally was used in regards to women), and apparently back then spiced toast (as in bread) was dipped in drinks to add flavor before the toast, to symbolize the flavor the toastee added to life. No, I’m not making that up. I could never come up with something so bizarre.
 
Let’s look at something both more and less weird. Torrent—yes, like water!—showed up in the seventeenth century from the classical Latin torrentem, which is just torrent. Before it meant a rushing stream, it meant roaring, boiling, burning, or parching, which makes sense because it’s from the same torrare that gave us to roast. Not really sure how it switched from fire to water there, just that it did. Torrid is from the same place, though at least this one makes more sense. Not a lot of sense, but more. It showed up in the late sixteenth century, but in reference to the “torrid zone”, which is basically what we’d call tropical zones now. It’s from the Medieval Latin torrida zona, and that’s also from torrere, because tropical zones are hot.
 
At least that one makes sense.
 
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
Dictionary of Medieval Latin
Encyclopaedia Britannica

From The Spamfiles

I wonder what I’ll get this week. Though nothing’s going to beat “corpsified”.

I’m a little afraid to find out what this is supposed to be in regard to.

Setting aside the fact that I don’t have an account with them, what bank (or any business, really) would email a customer using three question marks in their query? They really think this sounds like something a bank would do??? As you can see, it is something I would do.

Yeah, I don’t care.
 

Yes, this is something normal, fluent-in-English speakers say. Granted, she might still be learning the language, but that assumes that she’s an actual human.

Anamul has tried to get into my non-existent Facebook account before. Apparently today he was on fire.

Middle Of The Night Ideas

I know this is a common trope, but come on.

This ever happen to you?

Language Of Confusion: Ter, Part I

 This little syllable shows up in a surprising number of places. Some of which make sense considering it’s from the Proto Indo European root ters-, to dry. But for the most part, well…
 
First we’ll look at terra, the word for earth that shows up in a lot of things that we’re looking at today. It’s just Latin for earth, and taken from ters- because “dry land” is the opposite of the sea. It also gave us terrain, which showed up in 1727 meaning specifically ground for training horses before it started meaning tracts of land about three decades later. It’s from the Old French terrain, Vulgar Latin terranum, and classical Latin terrenum, which means the land. There’s also territory, which showed up in the late fourteenth century, from the classical Latin territorium, meaning territory. Though one theory is that the word is actually from terror instead, in the sense you chase off someone from your territory. I have to admit, that would be pretty funny, and it is certainly possible considering how stupid etymology can be.
 
Then, there’s inter, like what you do to dead bodies. It showed up in the fourteenth century (where it could also be spelled enter), from the Old French enterer and Medieval Latin interrare, to bury in the earth. The in- is from the Proto Endo European en, which just means in, and the rest is from terra, so inter is in-earth. Well, that was certainly straightforward.
 
Next a work that might actually surprise you: terrier. Yes, as in a dog! It showed up in the fifteenth century from the Old French chien terrier, a terrier dog… or literally, earth dog. It’s from the Medieval Latin terrarius, which is from terra. Why are the dogs called that? Because they were bred to follow their prey into burrows—as in, the earth.
 
Finally today, let’s look at some anatomy. You know which bone comes from ters-? The tarsus—the ankle bones. It started being used in English in the late seventeenth century, and it’s the literal Latin word for ankle. But of course they took it from the Greek tarsos, which is their word for hock, like the part of an animal, as well as the tarsus bones. But that isn’t the only definition it was known as. It also once meant a flat surface for drying (which is how it’s descended from ters-, which means dry), and when naming stuff for anatomy, people decided to name the flat of the foot after it, because that makes perfect sense.
 
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
Dictionary of Medieval Latin
Encyclopaedia Britannica

From The Spamfiles

Occasionally I look at spam and say to myself “Well, this is rock bottom.” Then a message shows up that says to me, “Bring a shovel.”

Um… contusions? Really? That’s the name you’re going with here? Because that is not a name that fills me with confidence.

Looks like I spoke too soon, because there is a new champion.

Ooh, they can bridge fund me. Just what I always wanted!

“23, woman” is something a real woman definitely says.

 

Well, if I’m ever in Alwar, I’ll know where I can get a call girl. Yeesh, just looking at those links probably gave my computer a virus.