• 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 “Firedamp” come from and What does Firedamp mean?

Where does the word “Firedamp” come from and What does Firedamp mean?

February 14, 2020 by Karen Hill

Damp in the word firedamp has nothing to do with moisture, as we ordinarily associate it, but rather with deadening, or choking, or stifling.

In fact the earliest meaning of damp when it mysteriously appeared in the language in 1480 was as a kind of noxious gas exhaled by a goat.

“After this dragon,” wrote Caxton in The Cronicals of Englond, “shal come a goot and ther shal come oute of his nostrel a domp that shal betoken honger and grete deth of peple.”

So firedamp, then, is in itself a choking gas, often encountered in coal mines, that may become violently explosive upon contact with a flame.

Related Facts

  • What does the word "gauntlet" mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
  • What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word "incubus" come from?
  • Where does the word "Toilet" come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
  • What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Clock" Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
  • Where Did the Word "Limbo" Come From and What Does the Word Mean?

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 “Syllabus” come from and What does Syllabus mean in Greek?
Next Post: Where does the word “Hodgepodge” come from and What does Hodgepodge 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 © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy