Radio Omniglot

In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate the roots of the word court.

Meanings of court [ˈkɔːt / ˈkɔɹt] include: a courtyard, an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building; a palace, the retinue of a sovereign; a place where justice is administered; a place for playing sports such as tennis or basketball.

As a verb, to court can mean to seek to achieve or win (a prize); to risk (a consequence), or to attempt to attract or win affections.

It comes from Middle English court (courtyard, grand residence, household), from Old French cort (court [of a monarch]), from Latin cōrs, a contraction of cohors (court, enclosure, retinue, cohort), from Proto-Italic *kom (with, along, at) and *horti-, which probably comes from *hortos (enclosure) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include شُرْطَة (police, bodyguard, henchman) in Arabic, cour (courtyard, court, following) in French, coorte (cohort) in Italian, cúirt (court, mansion, courtyard) in Irish, and courteous, courtesy, cohort, and curtain in English [source].

The English word court, which was originally borrowed from Old French, was borrowed back into modern French as court to refer specifically to a tennis court [source].

Haitian Creole got the word lakou [laku] (courtyard, yard) from French la cour (the courtyard, etc). This word was borrowed back into English as lakou and refers to a small village or other compound built around a shared yard, or the family structure of those living in such a settlement in Haiti [source].

Incidentally, the Middle English word court replaced the Old English word stapol [ˈstɑ.pol], which means court, basis, post, support, pillar, column, threshold or market.

It comes from Proto-West Germanic *stapul (post, pillar), from Proto Germanic *stapulaz (post, pillar, basis, foundation) [source].

Related words include staple and possibly steeple in English, Stapel (stack, batch, slipway) in German, stöpull (pillar, column) in Icelandic, and étape (stage, stop [on a journey], leg [of race], step) in French [source].

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Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Salam, an alternative alphabet for Swahili created by Samuel Kamau.

New numbers page:

On the Omniglot blog this week we look into the suprising origins of the word blurb in a post called Blurbification, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southern Iran.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Siwi (ⴶⵍⴰⵏⵏⵉⵙⵉⵡⴰⵏ / Jlan n isiwan), an Eastern Berber language spoken mainly in northwestern Egypt, and also in Libya.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Hidden Concealment about words for to cover, to hide and related things in Celtic languages.

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If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Pallawa Myansatuyin, an alternative way to write Indonesian and other languages created by Reza Sumanda.

New constructed script: Sastrama, which was created by Zafran al Fathan and can be used to write Chinese, Indonesian, Malay or Tagalog.

New numbers page:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology we investigate some Impeccable Peccadillos.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we take a practical look at the Japanese word 実習 (jisshū) and the English word practicum in a post called Practical Practicums, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken northwestern Egypt and northeastern Libya.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Pukupukan (Te Leo Wale), a Polynesian language spoken mainly in Pukapuka and Nassau in the northern Cook Islands.

Source: https://youtube.com/shorts/Sz26XvTi4vs?si=9YWzietnHm-86Gcp

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Pulling Hard about words for to pull, to press and related things in Celtic languages.

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In this Adventure in Etymology we investigate some impeccable peccadillos.

A peccadillo [ˌpɛ.kəˈdɪ.loʊ / ˌpɛ.kəˈdɪ.ləʊ] is a small flaw or sin, a petty offence, a minor misdemeanor, or an infraction of an ethical code.

It comes from Spanish pecadillo [pe.kaˈð̞i.ʝo] (a minor sin or pecadillo), a diminutive of pecado (sin) from Old Spanish pecado, from Latin peccātum (sin, error, fault), from peccō (to sin, transgress, fail), from Proto-Italic *petkāō (to sin), possibly from PIE *ped- (to walk, fall, stumble) [source].

Words from the same Latin roots include pécher (to sin) in French, and peccare (to sin) in Italian, păcat (sin, imperfection) in Romanian, pechu (to sin, offend, hurt someone’s feelings) in Welsh, peaca (sin) in Irish, and bekatu (sin) in Basque [source].

The English words peccable (libable to sin, subject to transgress the divine law), impeccable (perfect, incapable of wrongdoing or sin, immaculate), and peccant (sinful, sinning, offensive) also come from the same roots [source].

Incidentally, the French word pécher (to sin) sounds just like the word pêcher (to fish), and someone who fishes, a pêcheur, sounds like pécheur (a sinner). The only difference is the accents on the e. These words come from different roots and should not be confused [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New writing system: Kharpa, which is used to write Bhujel (प्हगाल ङुर), a Greater Magaric language spoken in central Nepal, and Sikkim in northeast India.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Re:Zero, scripts for Japanese and English that appear in Re:Zero, a series of Japanese novels by Tappei Nagatsuki.

New numbers page: Tontemboan,a North Minahasan language spoken in northern Sulawesi in Indonesia.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Energetic Work, we find out what links the words energy and work.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links the word action to stocks and shares in in a post called Sharing Actions, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken mainly in the Cook Islands.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Hui Chinese (徽語 / 徽语), a Sinitic language spoken in Huizhou Prefecture in southern Anhui Province, and also in Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces in eastern China.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Sheltered Protection about words for shelter, protection and related things in Celtic languages.

In other news, I’ve been asked to mention a project on Kickstarter called Scripts of Humanity: 54 Writing Systems in One Deck – A playable deck exploring 54 writing systems through their symbols, materials, stories, and history. This sounds like a interesting endeavour.

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If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what connects the words energy, work.

Meanings of energy [ˈɛnədʒi / ˈɛnɚdʒi] include the impetus behind all motion and all activity; the capacity to do work; a quantity that denotes the ability to do work (in physics), and so on.

It comes from Middle French énergie (energy), from Late Latin energia (energy, efficiency), from Ancient Greek ἐνέργεια (enérgeia – activity), from *ἐνεργός (energós – active), from ἐν (en – to) and ἔργον (érgon – work) [source].

ἔργον (érgon – work) comes from Proto-Hellenic *wérgon (work), from Proto-Indo-European *wérǵom (work), from *werǵós (done), from *werǵ- (to make).

Words from the same Ancient Greek roots include ergol (propellant) in French (and Italian), and έργο (érgo – work, project), εργάτης (ergátis – worker, labourer, servant), εργάζομαι (ergázomai – to work), εργασία (ergasía – job, profession) and εργοστάσιο (ergostásio – factory) in Greek [source].

Words starting with erg(o)- in English also come from the same Ancient Greek roots. These include ergonomics (the science of the design of equipment, especially so as to reduce operator fatigue, discomfort and injury), ergophobe (one who dislikes working) and ergology (the study of the psychological effects of work) [source],

Words from the same PIE roots include gwneud (to do, to make) in Welsh, fearg (anger) and farraige (sea, billow, swell) in Irish, wirken (to function, be effective, work) in German, and allergy, organ, organic, surgery, work in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Neo Tazaric, which was designed by Filipe Dos Reis as an alternative script for Portuguese, French, Tamil and other languages.

New numbers pages:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Spangled Spiders, we find out what links the words spider, spin and spangle.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what links the word sort with magic spells in a post called Sorting Spells, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in eastern China.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Kaqchikel (Kaqchikel Ch’ab’äl), a Mayan language spoken in the Central Highlands of Guatemala.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post entitled Helpful Assistance about words for help, assistance, aid and related things in Celtic languages.

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You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we discover what connects the words spider, spin and spangle.

A spider [ˈspaɪ̯də / ˈspaɪ̯dɚ] is any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey. (Other meanings are available).

The verb to spider means to move like a spider, to cover a surface like a cobweb, or to follow links on the World Wide Web in order to gather information.

Spider comes from Middle English spithre (spider), from Old English spīþra (spider), from Proto-West Germanic *spinþrijō (spider), from Proto-Germanic *spinnaną (to spin), from PIE *(s)penh₁- (to twist, weave) [source].

Words from the same roots include pinti (to weave, to plait) in Lithuanian, pīt (to braid, to plait, to weave) in Latvian, pnout (to twine around, to climb, to stretch) in Czech, spinnen (to spin) in Dutch, and spin and possibly spangle and pound, ponder and pendant in English [source].

In some dialects of English spoken in northern England, a word for spider is attercop, which can also mean a peevish or ill-natured person. An extinct spieces of arachnid gets it scientific name, Attercopus, from the same source [source].

Attercop comes from Middle English attercoppe (spider), from Old English ātorcoppe (spider), ātor (poison) and *coppe (sometime round), from Proto-West Germanic *kopp (vessel, bowl, hilltop, crown), from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz (round object, vessel, knoll, crown), possibly from PIE *gubʰ- (round object, knoll) [source].

Related words include edderkop (spider) in Danish, Kopf (head, crown, top) in German, kopp (cup) in Swedish, and cup and cop (spider – obsolete) in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New language pages:

New constructed script: Phoenixian, which was created by Dave Kos to write the constructed Phoenixian language, and also English.

New constructed script: Dual Tone, which was invented by Grace Sanon as a colour-based alphabet that can be used English and other languages.

New numbers pages:

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, entitled Furnished Performance, we find out what connects the words furnish and perform.

It’s also available on Instagram and TikTok.

On the Omniglot blog this week we find out what connects pillows to dust in a post called Dusty Pillows, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Guatemala.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Gagauz (Gagauz dili / Gagauzça), a Western Oghuz Turkic language spoken mainly in Moldova, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

On the Celtiadur blog this week there’s a new post about words for Seaweed and related things in Celtic languages.

For more Omniglot News, see:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Podchaser.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out what connects the words furnish and perform.

To furnish [ˈfɜːnɪʃ / ˈfɝnɪʃ] means to provide a place with furniture, or other equipment, to supply or give (something), or to supply (somebody) with something.

It comes from Middle English furnishen (to fit out or equip, to provide or furnish), from Old French from fornir (to provide, carry out, discharge), from Frankish *frumjan (to accomplish, carry out), from Proto-Germanic *frumjaną (to perform, promote, accomplish), from PIE *promo- (front, forward), from *pro- (toward, forward) [source].

To perform means to do (something) in front of an audience, such as acting or music, often in order to entertain, to function, to work, to behave in certain ways, and various other things.

It comes from the same Frankish and Proto-Germanic roots as furnish, via Middle English parformen (to execute, carry out, perform, effect, finish), Anglo-Norman parformir and Old French parfornir [source].

Other words from the some Proto-Germanic roots include fournir (to supply, provide, furnish) in French, Furnier (veneer) in German, фанера (fanera – plywood, sound track) in Russian, fornecer (to supply, provide, furnish) in Portuguese, and form and furniture in English [source].

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.