Robin Evans

Freeman and Freeman – Chapter 5

Evans_(u06a2) Application Questions

3. Etymologies
1. Plateau
1796, "elevated tract of relatively level land," from French plateau, from O.Fr. platel (12c.) "flat
piece of metal, wood, etc.," dim. of plat "flat surface or thing," noun use of adj. plat (see plat).
Meaning "stage at which no progress is apparent" is attested from 1897, originally in psychology
of learning. The verb is attested from 1952, from the noun.
2. Unfriend
unfriend (v.) In the Facebook sense, attested from November 2007, from un- (1) "not" + friend.
A noun unfriend "enemy" is recorded from late 13c., chiefly in Scottish, and was still in use in
the 19th century.
3. Antique
1530s, from M.French antique (14c.), from L. antiquus "former, ancient," from PIE *anti in
sense of "before" (locative singular of *ant- "front, forehead") + *okw- "appearance." The noun
meaning "an old and collectible thing" is from 1771; the verb meaning "to give an antique
appearance to" is from 1923. Originally pronounced in English like its parallel antic, but French
pronunciation was eventually adopted.
4. Mosquito
1580s, from Spanish. mosquito "little gnat," dim. of mosca "fly," from L. musca "fly," from PIE
base *mu- (cf. Skt. maksa-, Gk. myia, O.E. mycg, Mod.English midge, O.C.S.mucha), perhaps
imitative of the sound of humming insects. Colloquial form skeeter is attested from 1839.
5. Malaria
1740, from It. mal'aria, from mala aria, lit. "bad air," from mala "bad" (fem. of malo, from L.
malus) + aria "air." Probably first used by Italian physician Francisco Torti (1658-1741). The
mosquito-borne disease was once thought to have been caused by foul air in marshy districts.
Replaced native ague.
6. Beer
O.E. beor, a word of much-disputed and ambiguous origin, but probably a 6c. W.German
monastic borrowing of V.L. biber "a drink, beverage" (from L. infinitive bibere "to drink;" see
imbibe). Another suggestion is that it comes from P.Gmc. *beuwoz-, from *beuwo- "barley."
The native Germanic word for the beverage was the one that yielded ale (q.v.).
Beer was a common drink among most of the European peoples, as well as in Egypt and
Mesopotamia, but was known to the Greeks and Romans only as an exotic product. [Buck]
They did have words for it, however. Gk. brytos, used in reference to Thracian or Phrygian
brews, was related to O.E. breowan "brew;" L. zythum is from Gk. zythos, first used of Egyptian
beer and treated as an Egyptian word but perhaps truly Greek and related to zyme "leaven." Sp.
cerveza is from L. cervesia "beer," perhaps related to L. cremor "thick broth." O.C.S. pivo,
source of the general Slavic word for "beer," is originally "a drink" (cf. O.C.S. piti "drink").
French bière is a 16c. borrowing from German. U.S. slang beer goggles, through which every
potential romantic partner looks desirable, is from 1986.
7. Circuitous
"Circuitous" is related to "circuit" and comes from Latin "circuitus," the past participle of the
verb "circumire," meaning "to go around." "Circumire" is derived in turn from Latin "circum,"
meaning "around," plus "ire," which means “to go.” Other "circum" descendants making the
rounds in English include "circumference" ("the perimeter of a circle"), "circumvent" (one
meaning of which is "to make a circuit around"), "circumlocution" (the act of "talking around" a
subject), and "circumnavigate" ("to go around"). There's also the prefix "circum-," which means
"around" or "about," and the familiar word "circumstance," which describes a condition or event
that "stands around" another.
8. Concrete
It is traced back to the Latin verb "concrescere," meaning "to grow together." Appropriately,
when if first entered English "concrete" could mean "connected by growth." Logicians and
grammarians also applied "concrete" to words that expressed a quality viewed as being united
with the thing it describes. That in turn led to the sense of "concrete" which we now contrast with
"abstract" -- concrete words express actual things ("rock," "lizard, "harpsichord"), while abstract
words express qualities apart from actual things ("bliss," "freedom," "turpitude"). It was not until
the 19th century that the noun "concrete," and its related adjective, began to be used for the
building material composed of cementing material and sand, gravel, or similar materials.
9. Nosegay
"Nosegay" is a homegrown word -- that is, it originated in English. Fifteenth-century Middle
English speakers joined "nose" (which meant then what it does today) with "gay" (which at the
time meant "ornament"). That makes "nosegay" an appropriate term for a bunch of flowers,
which is indeed an ornament that appeals to the nose. Today the word "nosegay" is especially
common in the bridal business, where it usually refers to a specific type of bouquet: a round,
tight bunch of flowers as opposed to a cascading bouquet or other type of arrangement.
Occasionally, the word is used metaphorically for things that somehow resemble a bouquet. For
example, a compact collection of enjoyably lighthearted short stories might be called "a nosegay
of a book."
10. Werewolf
Though some doubts about the word’s etymology still remain, "werewolf" probably comes from
a prehistoric West Germanic compound whose constituent parts gave Old English "wer" ("man")
and "wulf" ("wolf"). The word is related to Middle Dutch "weerwulf" and Old High German
"werwolf." Another word for "werewolf" is "lycanthrope," which traces back through Latin to a
Greek combination of "lyk-" (from "lykos," meaning "wolf") and "anthropos" (meaning "man").
English also sometimes makes use of the French-derived word "loup-garou," from Old French
"leu" ("wolf") and "garoul" or "garulf" (a word of Germanic origin meaning "werewolf"). ("Your
dictionary.com," 2011)
4. Phonetic – Semantic – Etymological

Phonetic Semantic Etymological

1. for hymn / hymnal kangaroo
2. ran crumb / crumble bouquet
3. pat limb / limbed rodeo
4. kit bath / bathed plaza
5. sip cloth / clothes ballet

8. Soft or hard g?
Rule
Usually, a g sound is hard or soft depending on the vowel that follows it. Here's the general rule:
When a g precedes a, o, or u, its sound is hard: game, gather, gobbler, golden, gun, guttural
When a g prededes e, i, or y, its sound is soft: gentle, generally, gigantic, ginseng, gypsy,
gyrating. ("Word wise," 2011)

Exceptions
Exceptions: There are some exceptions to these rules. These mostly involve giving ‘hard’
pronunciation to words where the rule indicates the ‘soft’ sound. These exceptions
include: gears, getting, geld, giver, girls, gifts, tigers
Present participles of some verbs that end with ‘g’, such as ‘clanging’ and ‘singing’.
Other exceptions are foreign words that have been adopted into the English language, such
as: gestalt, gestapo, and geisha. ("About.com," 2011)
 References

About.com. (2011). Retrieved

from http://esl.about.com/od/speakingintermediate/a/hardsoftcg.htm
Word wise. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0903396.html
Your dictionary.com. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.yourdictionary.com/

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