In a Word by Rosalie Baker

Author:Rosalie Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: word origins, history of words, word stories, word meanings, vocabulary, english language, etymology
Publisher: ePals Publishing
Published: 2011-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

“Crust” is not always used to describe food. For example, “the upper crust” refers to the elite or upper-class group of people.

Divan

The Turkish word divan traced its meaning to its Persian derivative and meant “a bundle of papers on which accounts were marked and kept.” During the Ottoman Empire of the Turks, it meant the council of the ministers of state as well as the room in which they met. Since the council members sat on low, cushioned sofas that had no armrests or backs, this type of couch gradually came to be known as a divan. Westerners visiting Turkey and the Middle East quickly learned the term, brought it back home, and used it to mean a couch or a sofa. Westerners also used the name ottoman to refer to an armless and backless couch and later to a low, cushioned footstool.

Hacienda

This Spanish American term, used to refer to a large estate or establishment, comes from the old Spanish word facienda, meaning “work” or “an estate.” The Spanish term traces its roots to the Latin facienda, meaning “everything that must be done.” This adaptation was appropriate because on a hacienda, there is always much work to be done.

Ketchup

Also spelled “catsup,” this English word is well known to all lovers of hamburgers, French fries, and baked beans. Few, however, know that it actually comes from two Chinese words. China’s neighbors, the Malaysians, used ke, meaning “shellfish” or “seafood,” and tsiap, meaning “a salty sauce,” to form their word kechap. They then used kechap to mean “a fish sauce.” European merchants trading in Asia in the 18th century brought the word home, where it underwent another change, first in spelling and later in meaning.

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