Karen Hill

And he (Aaron) shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats ; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. … Read more

The inventor, for whom this missile was named, was Henry Shrapnel. He was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1761, entered the army when a young man, and began the study of hollow projectiles as a young officer of twenty-three. He was a colonel, however, before the most notable invention resulting from his studies was accepted … Read more

Anyone whose shoe has worn thin enough for a nail to press through into the foot can have some sympathy for the sufferings constantly threatening the old Romans. They were not troubled with nails coming through the soles of their sandals, but there was every likelihood of picking up a sharp pebble, and no stocking … Read more

Most plants and animals growing or living in forested country are wild. For this reason the Romans spoke of all such things as silvaticus. The term was really equivalent to our word “sylvan,” of or pertaining to forests, being derived from silva, forest, but was transferred to mean the plants and animals found in such … Read more

Egyptian astronomers believed that there were only seven planets and that these all revolved about the earth. From the most remote they were successively Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon, using our present names. These planets were held to preside in the same order over the twenty-four hours of the day, … Read more

The skeptron of the Homeric period of Greece was a walking-stick, a cane or staff for the aged or infirm. But such a staff was also carried by foot travelers as a weapon of defense, or perhaps of offense. Either as cane or weapon, however, it received ornamentation and embellishment, and was handed down from … Read more

The oracle of Apollo at Delphi was the most celebrated of all the places in ancient Greece where the will of the gods was sought. But, by some traditions, this oracle had not always been sacred to Apollo. Its chasm, from which mysterious smoke arose, was believed to have first been an oracle of the … Read more

Travelers in southern Egypt brought tales to ancient Greece of a fabulous race of dwarfs who lived along the upper Nile. These dwarfs, it was said, were so small that they were in constant battle with the cranes, constantly on guard against being seized and swallowed. Greek historians, at a loss for a name for … Read more

Hundreds of years before the Christian Era the Phoenicians who dwelt along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea near Tyre discovered a curious shellfish attached to the adjacent rocks. This shellfish or mussel was found to yield a minute quantity of fluid which imparted a dark crimson color to cloth. It is said that the … Read more

Among the traditions of the Greeks was one of an ancient hero whose name, Prometheus, signified “forethought,” and his brother Epimetheus, whose name meant “afterthought.” It was Prometheus who stole fire from Zeus and brought it to mortals, and who taught them in all the useful arts and sciences. It was Epimetheus who, against the … Read more

In certain rites of the ancient religions of the Greeks and Romans none but men who were fully initiated into the mysteries were permitted to participate. Those sacred ceremonies and sacrifices, the objects of worship, and the traditions, with the interpretations of all of these, were disclosed only to those admitted into the body of … Read more

We have a saying, “Never put off till tomorrow what can be done today.” But most of us practice procrastination instead. The ancient Romans condensed such an action into a single word, procrastinatio. Its literal meaning is “a putting off to the morrow.” It was formed by joining the preposition pro, for the benefit of, … Read more

The duck makes the same sound regardless of the country she is in and, with her waddle, she reminds one always of a pompous person, strutting along, and eternally quack quacking to himself. That is what the Dutch thought of the charlatans and mountebanks parading around through plague-ridden Europe in the sixteenth century, each proclaiming … Read more

If a cowboy had been seen in the streets of Rome in the days of Caesar it is likely that a spectator, seeing his bowed legs, would have called him a prevaricator. That is what the term meant, a bandy-legged person, a straddler with crooked legs, one who, because of his distorted legs, cannot walk … Read more

The principal outer garment of the Roman citizen, in olden days, was the toga. This outer cloak was variously marked to distinguish the rank of its wearer. That worn by various high magistrates, and by freeborn children until the age of puberty, was marked in front by a border of purple. It was known as … Read more

When the Romans had occasion to express the notion that we have in mind when we use “putting the cart before the horse,” they did it by the compound word praeposterus. Freely translated, that means “the before coming after,” from pre, before, and posterus, following. The exact meaning of our word preposterous is, therefore, “inverted; … Read more

The word retaliate, in its Latin form, retalio, might be said to have been the equivalent of the English response, “And the same to you!” after an uncomplimentary remark. The source was re, back, and talis, such. Retalio thus meant “to give tit for tat, to return like for like.” In legal usage it meant … Read more

According to Greek legend, there lived in the days of Theseus a highwayman named Procrustes who dwelt on the road toward Eleusis. Travelers, it was said, seeing his house by the roadside, sometimes stopped to seek accommodation for the night. Procrustes never turned any away. But he had two beds, one a short one and … Read more

Were we to reserve the word “precocious” for its ancient Latin meaning, we would use it now instead of “precooked,” for that was the original literal sense. It was derived from prae, before, and coquo, cook or boil. But praecoquo came early to mean “to ripen fully,” and from that sense its participle, praecoquus or … Read more

Shortly after the West Indies were discovered, Spanish navigators must have learned of the potato plant, new to them, with its tuberous roots which the natives used as a food. But the first mention of these plants in European accounts appears to have been in 1526. The name, in Haiti, was batata, and it was … Read more

Marco Polo is responsible for our use of the word post in connection with mail. It was after his return from his long sojourn in China in the thirteenth century, when he described the Great Khan’s system for receiving and sending messages from and to all parts of his vast empire. Large stations, housing many … Read more

The Latin source of the word “precipitate” is prcecipito which, in early use, meant “to cast down or fall headlong,” as if from a high place. It is from pre, before, and ca put, head; hence, literally, “headforemost.” The term was used many times by Roman writers when referring to criminals executed by being cast … Read more

Our own language once contained an exact synonym of the word “remorse”, ayenbite, “again bite.” There was a fourteenth-century English book under the title, Ayenbite of Invwit, literally, “Again-bite of Inner Wit,” but which we would understand better if translated, “Remorse of Conscience.” Remorse came to us, through French, from the Latin remordeo, and its … Read more

Sometimes a stubborn horse or mule is content to let fly a few kicks without doing much damage, and let it go at that, but at other times he does not stop until he has broken up the cart to which he is hitched or has injured the driver. On the first occasion the animal … Read more

In the days when few could read and fewer still could write, the word record was used in its literal sense, “to get by heart; fix in the memory.” Its remote Latin source was re, back, and cor, heart, thus denoting that anything back in the heart was fixed in the memory. The more immediate … Read more

Midshipmen, in the sailing vessels of a century ago, were often familiarly called “reefers,” because, to quote an authority of that period, “they have to attend in the tops during the operation of taking in reefs.” That duty, especially in cold weather, would prevent the midshipman from wearing the long topcoat of an officer, but … Read more

The strange fish called the Remora, which attaches itself to moving objects by a curious sucking-disk along the top of its head, was known to ancient Roman navigators. The fish would attach itself to the bottoms or sides of their slow-moving sailing vessels, and it was believed that they acted as a drag to the … Read more

In its earliest use, rapture meant “an abduction,” especially the forcible kidnaping of a woman. It was formed, in analogy with “capture,” from rapt, at a time when rapt meant “abducted.” The Latin source was rapio, to snatch, seize, which became rape in English, and the Latin participle raptus, seized, was shortened to rapt. The … Read more

The dissolute man whom we now speak of as a rake was said to be a rakehell four hundred years ago, and we still sometimes use the older word. The original term was cynical and figurative. It came from the thought that one would have to rake hell to find a person so vile as … Read more

To many persons the term “requiem” merely denotes a dirge played or sung at a funeral service. Its source, however, is found in the opening word of the solemn mass sung, in Latin, in Roman Catholic churches for the repose of the dead. The first line is, Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine (Give eternal rest … Read more

Cervantes, in writing his most famous work, The History of Don Quixote, in it 605, stated that its “fabulous extravagances” should be interpreted as “only an invective against the books of chivalry” which had been riotously produced in Spain. There is reason to doubt the sincerity of that statement, however, because the books he referred … Read more

Perhaps the term “quisling” will not survive; few other names of traitors to their country have become part of the language of their owner, let alone being adopted into our speech. But the circumstances that made quisling a synonym for “traitor,” and quisle to mean “to betray one’s country,” have warranted the inclusion of both … Read more

The literal meaning of the Latin word “quorum” is “of whom.” But, like other of our words, such as “patter” and “omnibus,” quorum was once part of a Latin phrase, in this instance, a legal phrase. Originally, that is, it was a custom, among English justices of the peace, to name one, or perhaps two … Read more

Hunting dogs of the Middle Ages were as well trained as those of today and held their prey at bay until the hunters had arrived for the kill. As a reward for this restraint it was the custom to give the dogs certain parts of the animal, which was usually a stag. These parts were … Read more

The members of the Society of Friends sometimes use the name Quaker, but have never officially adopted it. The term is said to have been first applied to the founder of the Society, George Fox, according to Fox himself, in 1650 by Justice Bennet of Derby. Fox was being arraigned before two justices in Derbyshire … Read more

A hundred years ago the witty poet, Oliver Wendell Holmes, wrote the delightfully humorous Rhymed Lesson, in which he sought to correct various bad habits. Among them was the use of the word pants, which, he wrote, was “A word not made for gentlemen, but ‘gents.’” There are still some people who agree with him, … Read more

In 1788 a Scottish portrait painter, Robert Barker, succeeded in carrying out in practical form an idea that had previously been suggested by a German architect named Breissig. This was to produce and exhibit on canvas the effect of the continuous scene that is open to anyone who turns himself completely around at one spot. … Read more

Raffle was a game of chance in Chaucer’s time, played with three dice. Every player in turn strove to throw a triplet, but if no one made that lucky cast, the winner was he who threw the highest pair. The game and its name were of French origin.

The Lord’s Prayer was recited in the Middle Ages in very much the fashion that one often hears it today, especially by children, with great rapidity and with no shadow of understanding of the words. The difference is that in the Middle Ages the recitation was in Latin, so that few people knew what they … Read more

In ancient Greece, as well as in some modern countries, a bridegroom received some gift or dowry, money, cattle, or other property, along with his bride, usually from her parents. This dowry then became his, to dispose of as he might wish. But the bride might also bring with her certain personal property, such as … Read more

In prehistorical times much of southern India was occupied, apparently, by a black-skinned race of primitive people. Some time after the Aryan invasion, which may have been as early as 2000 B.C., these people were subjugated and forced into menial positions. Gradually, after the caste system was introduced, they became separated into different lowly classes. … Read more

In the year 1501 a mutilated old statue was dug up in Rome near the palace of Cardinal Caraffa. The statue was not identified, but the Cardinal, nevertheless, had it set up in the roadway at the corner of the palace. Opposite the spot where the statue had been found there had lived an old … Read more

The Old French source of the verb “patrol” was patouiller, and it then meant “to dabble in the mud.” The supposition is that French soldiers detailed to guard a camp at night found that their duty seemed to consist of nothing but tramping interminably back and forth in the mud, and thus adopted this word … Read more

When introduced from France in the thirteenth century, the word “pannier” denoted nothing more than a basket, originally for the carrying of bread, whence its name, from the Latin panarius, bread basket. But it had also come to mean a fish basket or, if of larger size, a basket for the carrying of provisions of … Read more

The Irish actor, Charles Macklin, retired from the London stage in 1753 at the age of fifty-four and opened a tavern near the Drury Lane theater, the scene of many of his successes. It became his custom, in his new role of innkeeper, to serve dinner personally. Then afterward he would deliver a lecture to … Read more

English readers of the fourteenth century were treated to a great story told by two different great writers. It was the story of the love of the Trojan prince, Troilus, for the beautiful Chryseis or Cressida. Boccaccio told the story, in Italian, in his Filostrato, basing it upon two legendary accounts of the siege of … Read more

The Roman military tent was often called taberna, a term that usually denoted a shop, because, like the shop, it was generally constructed of boards. This word was also the source of tavern, since many Roman shops sold wine and served as inns. It is also the source of tabernacle, which, as Latin tabernaculum, meant … Read more

When writing Paradise Lost Milton’s imagination led him to suppose a place that would serve as the capital of Hell, a place that would be inhabited only by the demons and which would be the meeting place and council chambers of all the evil spirits. He coined a name for this imaginary place and called … Read more

In the thirteenth century there appeared in France a few leaves containing a poem of love with the title Pamphilus, seu de Amore. The story became very popular, so popular that the small work became familiarly known as Pamphilet, just like the small book of Aesop’s Fables had been familiarly named Esopet. Hence, the English, … Read more

Although now the name of a popular cigarette and of a street in London, the names were both derived from an old outdoor game. The original game and its name were of French origin, literally a game of ball, pane, and mallet, maille. The game was popular in France in the sixteenth century and, when … Read more

Originally, the word “pale”, from the Latin palus, stake, meant just that, a stake to be driven into the ground. It had an especial meaning, also, a stake to be driven into the ground along with others, so as to form a fence. From the latter it came to mean a definite limit or boundary, … Read more

From 1309 to 1376 the papal see was located at Avignon in France. Clement V, pope from 1305 to 1314 never entered the Vatican in Rome. He was French, and so were the five popes who directly followed him. After Gregory XI transferred the seat of papal power again to Rome, Avignon continued in importance … Read more

The Greeks ascribed many things to their demigod Pan; among them, the power to inspire great fear or terror in one who saw or heard him, “Panic fear,” it was called. Through such unreasoning fear, it was said, the Persians were put to flight at the battle of Marathon, when Pan took up the cause … Read more

Originally, in ancient Greece, there was nothing derogatory in referring to a man as a parasite (Greek parasitos, from para, beside, and sitos, food). It then referred to a class of priests, probably, who feasted together after a sacrifice. At an early date, however, it was applied to one who, as a guest, ate at … Read more

Cameras and the production of pictures upon paper or glass had been made before the nineteenth century, but the first to produce permanent pictures by these means was Joseph Niepce of France, with the cooperation of his fellow countryman, Louis Daguerre. The process was first called heliographie, later dropped in favor of daguerreotype when the … Read more

Helios, in Greek mythology, had charge of the chariot of the sun. It was his duty to drive it each day from the ocean of the farthest east across the heavens and to the ocean of the farthest west. Thence, it was believed, Helios, his chariot, and the four horses that drew it were wafted … Read more

Today we have television. Before that we had motion pictures, or cinema. Earlier was the stereopticon, and before that the magic lantern. But in 1802 a man by the name of Philipstal introduced a device that was considered a great improvement upon the older magic lantern. In part the difference was that the figures to … Read more

How old the German custom of philopena might be, no one knows. It was probably brought to America in the early eighteenth century, but that is entirely a guess because the earliest written record is not until a century later. The custom was that if, in the eating of almonds, hazelnuts, or other like nut, … Read more

The early petticoat, or “little coat,” was worn by men. In fact, men continued to wear petticoats until the eighteenth century, although the garments were then usually called waistcoats. But the small coats worn by men of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries were actually coats, not skirts, and were worn under the doublet.

Unknown to each other, several men were working simultaneously upon the same problem in the early years of the eighteenth century. The harpsichord had been developed two centuries earlier from the older clavichord, a distinct improvement; but the instrument, with its tones produced by the action of quills plucking the strings, was still too soft … Read more

This is a distorted spelling of the French words from which it is said to have originated, pied de grue. Some of the many English forms the word has taken since its introduction into the language in the early fifteenth century, were pee de grew, petiegrew, pytagru, peti degree, pedicru, to show just a few … Read more

Back in olden times, just as in many rural regions today, a man’s wealth was measured, not by the money he might have in the bank nor the land that he held, but by the cattle that he owned; that is, the number of sheep, cows, or goats that he had. Now the Latin word … Read more

In spite of the fact that these names apply to writing instruments which, nowadays, look something alike, and despite the fact that the three letters of one form the first syllable of the other, the sources of the two words are unrelated. Pen is derived from the Latin penna, a quill, feather, because, until the … Read more

Jeanne Antoinette Poisson was born in Paris in 1721 of poor parents, but was early taken into the home of a wealthy financier and educated as if she were his daughter. She was extremely beautiful and received every social advantage. At the age of twenty she married the nephew of her benefactor, Lenormant d’Etoiles, and … Read more

In the sixteenth century, when the word “necklace” was introduced, its meaning was exactly that indicated by its two components, lace for the neck. But lace was not then what we usually consider it today. (See LACE.) Its meaning had expanded from a string or cord (still preserved in our word “shoelace”) and, in the … Read more

After the nymph Echo was permitted to speak only when she heard another voice and could then repeat only what she heard, (See ECHO) it was her further misfortune to fall in love with the youth, Narcissus. This young man, according to Greek mythology, was exceptionally handsome. There are several stories that account for his … Read more

In 1725-26 the English poet, Ambrose Philips, chiefly noted for his pastoral poems, published some simple pieces addressed to the infant children of his friends, Lord John Carteret and Daniel Pulteny. These little poems, though charming, would probably have attracted little attention had it not been for Alexander Pope. Some years earlier Pope and Philips … Read more

From the same source as pecuniary, the Romans coined the adjective peculiaris, which, though originally referring to one’s property in cattle, acquired a broader reference to personal property in general. From this, even in Roman days, peculiaris took on the more specific meaning, “one’s own; belonging particularly to one’s self.” Thus, a Roman slave, although … Read more

In the Grecian family there was one slave, especially selected for his prudence, whose duty it was to attend the sons of the family during boyhood. One of these duties was to accompany his charges when they went upon the public roads, to and from the gymnasium, or elsewhere. From the nature of his duties … Read more

Greek and Roman actors almost invariably wore masks in every dramatic appearance. Such a mask covered the entire face and was made with highly exaggerated features so as to be readily distinguished by the remote spectator. Thus, an actor, donning the proper mask, could assume any character that the drama called for. In a Greek … Read more

The story of pagan and heathen can best be told in the words of Archbishop Trench (1807-86) in his Study of Words: You are aware that pagani, derived from (Latin) pagus, a village, had at first no religious significance, but designated the dwellers in hamlets and villages, as distinguished from the inhabitants of towns and … Read more

Solvers of cross-word puzzles may sometimes wonder why newt and eft, such different words in appearance and sound, are apparently used interchangeably. When is a newt an eft, they may ask. The answer is that a newt is an eft in the United States, sometimes, and in some sections of England, but the usual name … Read more

In the last half of the thirteenth century a small band of Muslims moved eastward out of Persia into western Asia Minor. Their leader took them into the service of a local ruler, but after the death of that leader his son took the remnants of the band into territory still further to the west. … Read more

One after the other of the popes of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, upon ascending the papal throne, used its great power to further his own ambitions. To do so it was first advantageous to have important offices filled by men who would be tied to him. There were none better for that than members … Read more

When Paris abducted Helen from the home of her husband, Menelaus. in Sparta and fled with her to Troy, he wanted her to forget her family and former home. To that end, according to Homer, he gave to her an Egyptian drug, believed to allay grief and induce forgetfulness. This drug was known as nepenthe … Read more

In the early days of our language, in the times that we call Old English, the word “neighbor” was a compound word, made up of the two elements, neah and gebur. These separately have descended to us as “nigh” and “boor,” and that is exactly what neighbor originally meant, a nearby rustic or peasant, a … Read more

Chief among the famous seven hills upon which Rome was built, and most central of the seven, was the Palatine Hill, Mons Palatinus, as it was known, named for the Sabine goddess, Pales. According to tradition, this hill, selected by Romulus upon which to build the city, was ever the seat of government, and upon … Read more

Not all of the Greek gods were kindly. There was one, according to mythology, whose duty it was to sit in judgment upon men. Her name was Nemesis, thought to have been the daughter of Night. She measured out happiness and unhappiness, and saw to it that any who were too greatly or too frequently … Read more

The great Tamerlane invaded India in 1398, looting its treasures at will, but making no attempt to add it to his empire. But, in 1526, Baber, the fifth in descent in this illustrious line of eastern rulers, led another expedition southward. From this invasion India came under the rule of a long line of Mogul … Read more

Ancient nations, like fraternal orders of our day, always kept some of their religious rites and ceremonials hidden from the eyes of the multitude or from those not yet initiated. To preserve that secrecy the rites were sometimes observed at night or within some sanctuary. These were the secret parts of the worship, in which … Read more

The Greek term for “parable” was parabole; literally, “a throwing beside,” from para, beside, and ball°, to throw. But the Greek meaning of the compound word was “a placing beside”; hence, “a comparison,” and this is, of course, what we mean by parable, a comparison, in the form of an allegorical story, by which some … Read more

Our ancestors had a good sense of humor. With one accord, no matter in what part of Europe they lived, they agreed that the Romans had properly described a muscle by the name given to it. All, with variations arising from language of course, adopted that name. It is muscle also in French, muscolo in … Read more

Today it seems rather far-fetched to associate the word “museum” with the nine Muses of ancient Greece, for we do not usually think of these beautiful nymphs in connection with collections of paintings, furniture, insects, curios, or the like. Nor do we connect the term with any one of them, nor with the art over … Read more

John Eliot, so-called “apostle to the Indians,” had many difficulties when, in the middle of the seventeenth century, he was translating the Bible into the Indian language. There were so many words for which the Indians had no equivalent. Hence, when he came to the thirty-sixth chapter of Genesis, he lacked a word for “duke,” … Read more

Much of the business of Italian cities of the Middle Ages was conducted upon benches placed in the streets or public squares, especially in Venice. The Italian word for bench, banca, accounts for our English word “bank.” Usually the business thus conducted in public was of the ordinary serious nature, but there were also itinerant … Read more

Literally the Old French expression “mortgage”, introduced into the law courts of England after the Norman Conquest, meant a “dead pledge,” from wort, dead, and gage, pledge. The reason for calling the legal instrument a “dead pledge” was given by the great English jurist of the seventeenth century, Sir Edward Coke, in these terms: It … Read more

The Roman poet Ovid found a need for a new god while writing the poem, Metamorphoses, a series of stories written by him a few years before his banishment in A.D. 8. This series is devoted largely to the adventures of the gods in their amatory pursuits of nymphs and the daughters of mortals. While … Read more

Early types of artillery developed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were usually named after the venomous serpent or swift bird of prey to which they were likened. Most of these names are now archaic, along with the artillery, and we are no longer familiar with the names of some of the animals. There was … Read more

To this day in parts of the world, as among some African tribes, persons suspected of a crime are tested with a red-hot iron. He who can have it pressed against his flesh without a blister forming is adjudged innocent; he upon whom a blister forms is guilty. Such a test, or one of similar … Read more

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. And the sons of Ham; Cush and Mizraim, and Phut and Canaan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod … Read more