The English language is amazing because it incorporates so many different cultures and ethic tones into the words used every day. Many of these words started off as someone’s name.
Most English words originated in other languages. Etymology is the study of word origins and it is a fascinating subject. The older languages, Greek and Latin make up a large percentage of the words in the English Language but some words were coined from a person.
This is a process that still goes on today. New words occur and are accepted into the vernacular that started off as the name of person. These are called eponyms and can even occur for large groups.
Adam’s Apple and Cardigan Sweaters
For example the cardigan sweater, which is making a comeback, was named after a famous Earl. Samuel Maverick, a rancher in Texas, who refused to brand his animals, gave us the term maverick which means to go out on your own.
Most everyone knows the large prominent bone that covers the voice box in men is called an Adam’s apple but its origins stem from the original man. Adam as the first man who tasted the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
James Bowie, no relation to David, was an American frontier fighter who fought in the Alamo. His special knife is called a Bowie knife.
Unrest in Egypt
Recently the news was full of the unrest in Egypt and the word boycott was mentioned when discussing American relations with Egypt. Boycott is a term gleaned from Charles Boycott who was the first victim of this action.
The dunce cap is no longer used in classrooms because it is not considered politically correct, but at one time children who did not behave were made to sit in the corner and wear a cap with the word dunce written on it. The cap is called this after Johannes Duns Scotus, a theologian whose followers were called Dunsmen.
Exercise is still popular and part of our culture. Leotards have come a long way from the asymmetrical monochrome suits that made up the Jane Fonda cult exercise tapes. Leotards were names after Jules Leotard. Jules was a French acrobat who made the leotard for his act on the trapeze.
The word mesmerize means to put someone in a trance. It was coined from Frederich Mesmer who practiced hypnotism in Austria.
Pralines and Sequoias
A cook named marshal Duplessis-Praslin, invented a wonderful nut and sugar candy that is still considered a delicate treat today. Praline candy can be found in stores and is even a brand of ice cream by Blue Bell.
A Cherokee Chief invented an alphabet and had trees named for him by a Hungarian botanist. The Sequoias are beautiful and sturdy trees that help us remember the Indian Chief.
John Stetson owned a hat factory in Philadelphia that produced many different kinds of western styles. His most popular was called the Stetson.
A large German tribe that sack and pillaged Rome was known as the Vandals; we still use that term to describe destruction and mischief.
Plato and George Kamel
Some words start not as someone’s name but a place. Schools are called academies because the garden where Plato taught his students was called the academy.
Many flowers have also been named after a person. The camellia was named after George Kamel an European Jesuit missionary to the Far East.
The love of words can be a great hobby or reading activity. The dictionary is updated regularly to add new words that have been introduced to our culture. Finding out how many of them started and where the word originated is often surprising and useful information.
Reference: Watson, Lillian Eichler. The Customs of Mankind. Greenwood Press: New York. 1970
Brenda Gargus - Brenda Gargus has a Masters' degree in Psychology and an undergraduate degree in Education. She has taught for 29 years in a variety of ...
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