Etymology | Introduction to Literature ENG 131

Tag Archives: Etymology

by janellewhit | October 10, 2013 · 8:59 pm

Times Have Changed

I chose the word education because I wanted to see if it has always meant what we say it means today. There are many different ways of educating ourselves and there are many different things to be educated about today. The word started off in 1527. There were several different meanings to the word education. One of the meanings was a rearing of silkworms. Or a “brood of silkworms reared at the same time”. It also meant how we think of it today, the development of knowledge. In 1644 it was used to describe how a man would grow up and be ready to fight in the war. In the 1700’s the word was used to describe, “the process of looking after a person or animal with respect to food an other physical needs”. Something I find very interesting was that back in the 1600’s it was used as the training of animals and in 2007 it was sometimes still referenced as that. I don’t know why education would have anything to do with rearing silkworms, but I think that the other definitions are similar to what we think it means today. It makes sense how the word meant a man growing up and being ready to fight in war. A long time ago, most women did not get any sort of education. Most of the time the men were the ones to learn how to do things whether that meant on the battlefield or in a school house. Men used to be the only ones to get any type of education so it makes sense why it used to mean a man learning how to grow up and be ready to fight in the war. Luckily, times have changed and not only men are being educated by also women. There’s even school for dogs now! 😉

Haunted

For my word, I chose haunted. I chose this word because it is getting close to Halloween and I thought it would be interesting to look into. Haunted is a verb, and has multiple meanings. The first meaning is practiced, habituated, or accustomed. This is surprising since haunted is usually used to convey some sense of suspense. The second meaning is that it is frequented by many people. The third meaning is the one that most people would relate haunted to. The third meaning is frequented or much visited by spirits, imaginary beings, apparitions, spectres, etc. This is the meaning that makes the most sense in the common use of the worlds.
This word has been used since 1325. It has an extensive background in literature. It is interesting to see the examples from the earlier and how they relate to the definitions. The earlier examples relate to the first meaning. However, there are early examples that relate to the second and third definitions.
More recently the word describes horror scenes, or a place where ghosts live. The word has morphed into this separate meaning. I didn’t know its origins, but I find it interesting to see how it has changed over the years.