• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “explode” (applaud) come from and What does explode mean?

Where does the word “explode” (applaud) come from and What does explode mean?

February 9, 2020 by Karen Hill

The Roman populace expressed their opinion of the abilities of their actors in manners that were unmistakable, and their ways were not unlike our own.

If they liked an actor’s performance, they clapped their hands at the end of his lines, when the action permitted; if they liked the entire play, they continued to clap after the performance closed.

But if an actor gave a poor performance, he was literally clapped off the stage; that is, the clapping and hissing, begun at each appearance on the stage, continued until he was forced to retire. These judgments, all accompanied by clapping, were all based on the word plaudo, to clap.

They were applaudo, from ad, to, thus meaning “to clap to,” which became our word applaud. The second came through appeal by the actors, Plaudite! Please clap! which has given rise to our English word, plaudit, acclamation.

The action of disapproval was expressed by explaudo, from ex, off, meaning “to clap off,” especially with a loud noise. Our English word, explode, derived from that, was still used, though rarely, with the Latin sense into the nineteenth century.

The sudden burst of loud noise and the ejectment of the actor brought about a figurative usage, applied to anything that burst forth suddenly and with noise, and this in turn led to our present usages of explode and explosion.

Related Facts

  • The History of the Dictionary
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • How did the skeptics get the idea that Shakespeare did not write his own plays?
  • Can water, soup or other liquids explode in the Microwave Oven and how can we prevent it?
  • How do Fish in the Ocean Die or Explode if Brought to the Surface too Fast?
  • Why Are New Tires So Much Noisier Than Old Tires?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “expunge” come from and What does expunge mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “eureka” come from and What does eureka mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy