No ones come up with the actual origin of this word, however. There are a few folk etymologies explaining why exactly cock and roach are paired together here, with one being that the first syllable is taken from caca, the word for excrement. Modern English is filled with words altered by folk etymology. Syn: woodchuck, {Marmota monax}. The true etymology isnt much kinder to the bread, though, because Pumpernickel was an insult for stupid people. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright 2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. A woodchuck would chuck all the wood he could Woodchucks (Marmota monax) are rodents, or more precisely marmots, and are not even distantly related to either aardvarks or hogs. And in certain cases, theres a phenomenon that rushes in to try to fill in the gaps: folk etymology. The implication is that racist people started calling the brown sprinkles jimmies for this reason. "Folk" is a collective noun and refers to a group of people in general. This process is also sometimes called corruption, defined as change in form often consisting of substitution of the familiar for the unfamiliar or adaptation to the sound system of a language.. folk etymology definition: 1. an explanation for the origin of a word that is believed to be true, but is, in fact, wrong: 2. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/woodchuck. It hibernates in the winter. Go on, you know you want to. The English-speaking settlers in North America found these words hard to pronounce, so they substituted syllables that sounded more familiar and yet approximated the original sound; hence woodchuck. The process of consciously or unconsciously changing the shape of a word to reflect the existing morphemes (minimal units of meaning) in a language is known as folk etymology. The word, is an anglicization of a word that comes from the, Can a number have a folk etymology? The idea of too good to be true is very much at play here. https://www.etymonline.com/word/woodchuck (accessed $(datetime)). Below is a massive list of folk etymology words - that is, words related to folk etymology. Since theyve been introduced, the little images known as emoji have almost entirely replaced the older emoticons on the internet. The, isnt much kinder to the bread, though, because, is the German verb for to break wind, and, You might think these little animals have something to do with wood. Sadly, no. You would be forgiven for assuming that female is an alteration of male, given a prefix to distinguish genders. woodchuck | Etymology, origin and meaning of woodchuck by etymonline woodchuck (n.) 1670s, alteration (influenced by wood (n.)) of Cree (Algonquian) otchek or Ojibwa otchig, "marten," the name subsequently transferred to the groundhog. (character). Here are some of the words we're currently looking at for a spot in the dictionary. Random House, 2008) Frou Researchers do their best to look at the history of a word, but sometimes the trail runs cold. The term folk etymology, the loan translation from the 19th-century adddemic German Volksetymologie, [9] is the technical one in philology and historical linguistics, referring to the change of form in the word itself, not to any actual explicit popular analysis. But English speakers heard cock (rooster) and roach, which did not yet refer to insects as it commonly does today, but to a kind of fish. 1969. *This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. they invented chocolate sprinkles and named them after an employee, but theres no proof of this. There wasnt anything about a cockroach that suggested rooster or fish, of course; its simply a matter of the sounds fitting. 420 Can a number have a folk etymology? Click here and fill out the form to receive Interesting Thing of the Day by email every day. Learn a new word every day. The spelling of wedlac changed over time through the process of folk etymology, which transforms a word by replacing lesser-known or misunderstood parts with more common and understood forms. The name woodchuck is believed to have derived from the Cree Indian word wuchak. Because of the resemblance of the middle of the word to dragon, the term was adapted by folk etymology to end with drake, an English variation of dragon. The word woodchuck is an anglicization of a word that comes from the Algonquian language family. Folk etymology refers to a change in the form or pronunciation of a word resulting from a mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning. "And so all those things collided by 1970 to make it a case where a lot of Vermonters were economically hurting," Paul says. Origin of woodchuck First recorded in 1665-75, Americanism; presumably a reshaping by folk etymology of a word in a Southern New England Algonquian language; compare Narragansett (English spelling) ockqutchaun "woodchuck" Words nearby woodchuck Get it out of your system. Etymology of woodchuck. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/woodchuck. One of the tell-tale signs of a folk etymology is that its a very appealing story. Etymology of woodchuck. Join us on an excursion into the world of eight common words delightfully convoluted backstories. While this is something organizations do all the time to create a fun name, there is also a lot of folk etymology around words that allegedly started as acronyms. [8] As the productive force[ edit] In this paper, we will explore the semantic and cultural nature of folk etymology, the mechanisms underlying it, and the insights it offers regarding the society of its speakers in order to attempt a more specific description, identification and interpretation of the process of folk etymology than what is currently available. Through the process of what's called folk etymology, English speakers replaced the original sounds with words that sounded vaguely similar to produce a new English word. The spelling cesperalle was used in the 1600s, and seems to have been a variation of suspiral, the Middle English word meaning vent, tap on a main pipe, or, somewhat euphemistically, settling pool. Suspiral in turn came from the French word for vent, suspirale, derived from the verb suspirer meaning to sigh or to exhale. The modern French word soupirer means to sigh, and the rare but poetic English word suspire has the same meaning. woodchuck Plural: woodchucks Origin of woodchuck By folk etymology, probably of New England Algonquian origin From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition From Cree ock, otchek ("fisher" ) or Ojibwe ojiig ("fisher, marten" ), subsequently reapplied to the groundhog. Pangkalahatang-ideya ng Folk Etymology somnuk krobkum / Getty Images This word is usually connected with the German city Hamburg. For some reason, many words get attributed to royalty. There are a lot of stories about 420 being a code used by the Los Angeles Police Department when they found people smoking marijuana. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the medieval image at the root of hangnail is a much more painful one than its respelled descendant. POSH stands for Port Out, Starboard Home. On ocean liners, wealthy British passengers would sit on the port side while traveling to India and starboard on the way back, because those were the ideal seats for avoiding the harsh rays of the southern sun. In this case, the story is that when Mary, Queen of Scots was ill, her French maid would say, (Mary is sick). For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. This syllable was heard and repeated as -fish frequently enough to alter the word toward the more English-sounding name. There was a British plumber and sanitation worker named, funny enough in itself but he didnt single-handedly invent the modern toilet, and his name isnt the source of crap. Many of the myths about his life came from a 20th-century book called, Since theyve been introduced, the little images known as, have almost entirely replaced the older emoticons on the internet. Pumpern is the German verb for to break wind, and Nickel was a word for rascal.. Also known colloquially as a whistlepig, woodchuck, and compare aardvark. This is naturally not the type of thing we expect a woodchuck to be capable of (as indicated by the counterfactual nature of the question in the rhyme). How to use a word that (literally) drives some pe Editor Emily Brewster clarifies the difference. The word has only been around for about 150 years, but its changed a lot during that time. Closely related to folk etymology (or even, according to some people, a subset of the phenomenon) is a process called back-formation. The -pool in cesspool, therefore, was a change made to a logical, more English-sounding, but unrelated syllable. Folk etymology (from [English] "folk" and Greek etymologa -- 'true or original sense of a word) is defined as a change in the form and /or meaning of a word, which results from the incorrect assumption that it has a certain etymological origin.This supposition is triggered by some associations of form or meaning between the changing word, unfamiliar to the speakers . Mencken, but even he was stumped by cocktail. In the end, he listed seven different possible origins of the word. 1880-85 So woodchuck turns out to be not only folk etymology, but a misnomer at that. Also called popular etymology . from Old French etimologie, ethimologie (14c., Modern French tymologie) from Greek etymologia "analysis of a word to find its true origin," properly "study of the true sense (of a word)". Now available on my new cd, "Mountain Lore" Menu. Woodchuck is a North American word from the Algonquian family of languages for this rodent, officially classified as a marmot and unofficially called a groundhog. Theres no evidence behind this, but the story sticks because the true etymology of jimmies is unknown. There are two main types of epic: folk and literary. The idea of too good to be true is very much at play here. In some situations, you can use either folk or folks but in other situations, it can be best to use folk or folks. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and getting angry about things on. Folk-Etymology: A Dictionary of Verbal Corruptions or Words Perverted in Form or Meaning, by False Derivation or Mistaken Analogy. Its also called a groundhog. Did it come from businessman Otto Kaiser, who would sign forms OK? Hangnail would seem to be a perfectly self-evident compound word: after all, it describes that painful little stem of skin that seems to hang from the bed of your fingernail, right? The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. Though, to make things even more confusing, theres no clear evidence of ground beef patties originating in Hamburg. There are countless great word histories out there, and yet there are also a lot of words with murky origins. woodchuck noun A rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as . 0 Ratings 0 Want to read; 0 Currently reading; 0 Have read; Folk-etymology. to mean alls well? During the 1970s, a group of five California teens would meet at 4:20 p.m. after school each day to smoke weed and hang out. It's also called a groundhog. The most salient similarity among the three species is a propensity for burrowing.). Supposedly the word "woodchuck" is a corruption of the original Algonquian name for groundhogs, "wejack", which means "fisher". See Wikipedia. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. Yet thats not the case. Crawfish is a variant of crayfish that dates to the 1600s. Discovering the. Crayfish is the name used for small crustaceans that look like little lobsters without the big front claws. How could this possibly have spread so far? in the English language, and so it makes sense it has a ton of folk etymologies. Folk epic is an old form of epic poem that was originally told in oral form. The form or the meaning of an archaic, foreign, or otherwise unfamiliar word is reinterpreted as resembling more familiar words or morphemes. Ground Hog Day as a weather forecasting event is first recorded 1869, in an Ohio newspaper article that calls it "old tradition;" the custom though not the name, attested from 1850s. The folk in this town always drink too much. Oddly enough, "groundhog" is a fairly literal translation of the Dutch word aardvark, even though aardvarks don't look anything like hogs. Folk-etymology a dictionary of verbal corruptions or words perverted in form or meaning, by false derivation or mistaken analogy by Abram Smythe Palmer. Records by Spade and Terrier: historical side-lights from the discovery of Stone-Age, Celtic, and Roman remains; also . 1 An alteration in the form of a word through the influence of a more familiar word or words that people associate with it, as in sparrow-grass for asparagus. The name of this much-maligned bread is often connected with Napoleon Bonaparte. folk etymology English Origin & history English from the 1880s (Abram Smythe Palmer, 1882), a calque of German Volksetymologie (1820s, in 1821 as Volks-Etymologie in J. Cockroach is a loanword, though, in which English speakers anglicized the Spanish la cucaracha. Learn more. folk etymology of female Value Added IT Distribution. In this case, the story is that when Mary, Queen of Scots was ill, her French maid would say Marie est malade (Mary is sick). Because of this, he has really hard opinions about AP Style. But look at the tongue twister again: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would. GOLF stands for Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. While theres plenty of sexism in sports to go around, golf is taken from an old Scottish word. A lot of folk etymologies happen because a term looks like its a compound word, but it actually isnt. (PDF) On the Etymology and Word Formation of Arbeyi Woodchuck One of the great philosophical debates of our time can be rendered moot once and for all by etymology: woodchucks were not named for a putative ability to toss lumber. Did Greeks commonly say to mean alls well? He was served the local delicacy of rye bread, and disliked it so much he said it was pain pour Nickel, or bread for Nickel, the name of his horse. At least, thats the story, but its probably not true. "Woodchuck" is a name for a marmot, Marmota monax, also known as a groundhog. The name woodchuck is derived from a word in one of the Algonquian languages spoken by Native Americanseither the Cree word otchek or the related Ojibwa word otchig. Science, Tech, Math Science Math Social Sciences Computer Science Animals & Nature Humanities History & Culture Visual Arts Literature Did British sailors mark down that zero people were killed by writing 0K? It was however a nonsense verse published in a children's magazine in 1902 or earlier. COP stands for Constable On Patrol. Again, you can see why this might make sense, but the noun is a shortening of copper, which is ironically a noun form of the verb to cop.. There are a few folk etymologies explaining why exactly cock and roach are paired together here, with one being that the first syllable is taken from, , the word for excrement. So the real question is why anyone would have given this animal such a nonsensical name in the first place. You might think these little animals have something to do with wood. Is the word crap really named after the British inventor of the toilet, Thomas Crapper? English speakers also mistook a napron for an apron, and even an ewt for a newt. If you dont know what to call your new state, naming it after a mountain or river seems to be a safe bet. woodchuck (wdtk) n. a stocky North American burrowing rodent, Marmota monax, that hibernates in the winter. Over time . The noun sciurus in turn is a Latinisation of Greek (= skouros), which has been interpreted - by folk etymology for some foreign name - as being a compound of (= ski), shade, and (= our), tail, meaning shadow-tailed. Did it come from businessman Otto Kaiser, who would sign forms OK? But the word cockroach only dates back a few hundred yearsa split second in geological timeto the early 1600s, when the Spanish word cucaracha was borrowed into English. It is true however that when the animal sits erect, it often raises its bushy tail . Types of Epic. [1665-75, Amer. One of the most recent theories does involve horses: the animals with cocked tails were considered livelier, so owners would put ginger or pepper on their unmentionables so theyd lift their tails up. Book. Crayfish is an altered form of the Middle English word crevis, which derived from the Anglo-French word creveis, which had the stress on the second syllable. The implication is that racist people started calling the brown sprinkles jimmies for this reason. Be warned that one of the words is a bit inappropriate, though. Delivered to your inbox. English has many examples of folk etymology. Linguistics a popular but false notion of the origin of a word. Accessed $(datetimeMla). chuck (woodchk) n. A large burrowing rodent (Marmota monax) of northern and eastern North America, having a short-legged, heavyset body and grizzled brownish fur. (As an aside, woodchuck isnt the only nonsensical name this animal has. folk etymologies). A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. woodchuck in British English (wdtk ) noun a North American marmot, Marmota monax, having coarse reddish-brown fur Also called: groundhog Collins English Dictionary. The drinks, then, have the same effect on the drinker as the ginger or pepper on the horses. The woodchuck ( Marmota monax) is known by a wide variety of names including earth pig, groundhog, and whistle pig. Its natural to want to break hamburger into ham and burger, but considering most hamburgers are made of beef, not ham, this doesnt really make sense when you think about it. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples They would say 420 to each other in the halls to escape notice of their teachers. Cockroach is a loanword, though, in which English speakers anglicized the Spanish. It is related to the ground squirrel and marmot. Examples: Some folks think that money grows on trees. Its natural to want to break hamburger into ham and burger, but considering most hamburgers are made of beef, not ham, this doesnt really make sense when you think about it. While they may not be true, folk etymologies can be a lot of fun. We get so used to familiar sounds and words that unfamiliar ones are sometimes bent and twisted to make them seem logical to our ears. To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. The interstate highways were being built at this time as well, so it was easier for people to get to Vermont. Also called groundhog; also called regionally whistle pig. Lets look as some common and surprising examples of this phenomenon. The Questionnaires of James Lipton, Bernard Pivot, and Marcel Proust, 13 Ways to Find North If Youre Lost in the Woods. Edit. For some reason, many words get attributed to royalty. Did Greeks commonly say. So, woodchucks have nothing to do with chucking woodwhich is why the words of the tongue twister are "if a woodchuck could chuck wood." A lot of folk etymologies happen because a term looks like its a compound word, but it actually isnt. Though, to make things even more confusing, theres. Folk etymology is in the same genre of story as folk tales. Also called chuck, groundhog . Answer (1 of 2): The origin of the phrase, "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?" is from a 1902 song, "The Woodchuck Song", written by Robert Hobart Davis for Fay Templeton in the musical "The Runaways." The lyrics became better known in a version of the song written by Theodore Morse and reco. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day. folk (n.) Old English folc "common people, laity; men; people, nation, tribe; multitude; troop, army," from Proto-Germanic *fulka- (source also of Old Saxon folc, Old Frisian folk, Middle Dutch volc, Dutch volk, Old High German folc, German Volk "people"). A 1908 cartoon pokes fun at mistaken, and perhaps flatlander, impressions of Vermont. Yet thats not the case. Now that the noun groom for "horse attendant" has also become extinct, people use groom to mean bridegroom.) Wikipedia says the tongue-twister comes from a 1902 song, but the song is really from 1903. And gngl referred not to fingernails or toenails, but to actual iron nails, the head of which were felt to resemble a corn on the foot (though both the metal nail and the anatomical nail do ultimately come from gngl). We've got a great book for youand Interesting Thing of the Day readers can save 30% on it. But in this case, the word dropped whole from French (motion) into English, so that derivation is erroneous. Overview; View 9 Editions Details; Reviews Lists; Related Books; Publish Date. Can a number have a folk etymology? Woodchuck Amber was the result and it would go on to reinvent a centuries old beverage which had vanished from the American conscious in the wake of Prohibition.. A reddish brown North American burrowing marmot ( {Marmota monax}), also called the {woodchuck}. Theyre invented to explain how something came to be in this case, words. Related searches: A candy company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. WikiMatrix. Example 1. And in certain cases, theres a phenomenon that rushes in to try to fill in the gaps: folk etymology. Harper, Douglas. One of the most recent theories does involve horses: the animals with cocked tails were considered livelier, so owners would put ginger or pepper on their unmentionables so theyd lift their tails up. In New England and other parts of the east coast of the United States, jimmies is a common term for chocolate sprinkles. Need help sorting, organizing, storing, and managing them? Theyre invented to explain how something came to be in this case, words. Discovering the strange origins of a word you use every day feels like peeling back a layer of reality. of ground beef patties originating in Hamburg. Lutestring conveys an unusually specific image to mean a plain glossy silk that was used to make womens dresses and ribbons in the 17th century. Thats right, woodchucks cant chuck wood, nor do they have anything to do with it. The etymology of the name "woodchuck" is unrelated to wood or chucking. Language is a habit. The most commonly acknowledged story may be the weirdest, actually: its a shortening of orl korreck, a humorous misspelling of all correct that appeared in a 19th-century newspaper. Its hard to imagine a worse combination of letters in the English language, which makes it a fitting name for this creature. Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com. chuck (w d ch k ) Share: Tweet n. A large burrowing rodent (Marmota monax) of northern and eastern North America, having a short-legged, heavyset body and grizzled brownish fur. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer. Theories include it being named after cock-tailed horses (ones with shorter tails, meaning theyre of a mixed breed), alcohol dregs (the cock is the spigot, the tail being the tailings of other alcohols, mixed together to be sold for cheap) and French egg cups (a New Orleans apothecary may have sold alcoholic drinks in egg cups, or coquetiers). betway withdrawal limit. More buying choices from other sellers on AbeBooks. Is the word crap really named after the British inventor of the toilet, Thomas Crapper? An old-fashioned rule we can no longer put up with. Most people would probably assume isle is a shortening of island, but the two words evolved separately. Since crustaceans live in the water, the -fish of crayfish is logicalbut has nothing to do with the words origin. The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for , a French word meaning woman. Male and female evolved entirely separately. Etymology: Alteration of Welsh rabbit n., apparently after rare adj.1 and bit n.1, probably with the sense 'delicacy'. Honestly, sometimes the true stories are more surprising than the folk etymologies. The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. [8] Contents [ hide ] 1 As a productive force While the Police Code 420 did refer to juvenile disturbances, many sources agree that 420 actually comes from a group of high school students. . I never understood what the word chuck was supposed to mean in the rhyme. This is one of the most ubiquitous words in the English language, and so it makes sense it has a ton of folk etymologies. But the simplest explanation is the correct one: news covers whats new. No one wants to think very long about either literal or figurative cesspools, but a few moments contemplating the words etymology shouldnt smell too bad. 61 In his book on the language of the Linear B tablets, Leonard R. Palmer explained the etymology of the name of Achilles, (), as a shortened variant of a compound formation *Akh-luos, built from the roots of 'grief' and of 'host of fighting men, folk', morphologically parallel to such "Caland" compounds as Homeric - . More images. Several decades later, helpmate appeared as a more logical synonym, since mate can mean either friend or a member of a married couple.. During the 1970s, a group of five California teens would meet at 4:20 p.m. after school each day to smoke weed and hang out. We busted the myths around a few of the most famous stories and looked in to the true etymologies behind them. Theres no exact science to figuring out which etymologies are false, though, so its best to rely on resources like the Online Etymology Dictionary. English speakers altered the Italian to lutestring, which conveyed the both the fineness of the material and the value of aesthetic beauty important to both music and fashion. The top 4 are: etymology, cognate, rebracketing and back-formation. Harper Douglas, Etymology of woodchuck, Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/woodchuck. The cuca- of cucaracha is the Spanish word for butterfly caterpillar, which presumably the bug resembles in some way. you use every day feels like peeling back a layer of reality. Expert Answers: Etymology. 2 The OED says of Welsh rarebit:. Entries linking to woodchuck wood (n.) Some people have connected this with Jim Crow, a made-up name that originally appeared in a minstrel show, and became an American shorthand for anything African-American. But language, much to the chagrin of us all, is not logical. It comes from the Middle English word spelled agnail or angnail, itself from the Old English word angngl, meaning corn on the foot. Ang- or ag- meant painful, related to the root of anger, enge. And as we know, they will outlive us all. Noun folk etymology (pl. Good.) As with woodchuck, the Spanish word was transformed into English by substituting similar-sounding morphemes: cock (as in rooster) and roach (which at that time was simply the name of a type of fish). Then, someone would bring her preserved fruit to make her feel better. , a word originally used to refer to quince jam. 2 A popular misconception about the origin of a word. Here are a few you might have heard before. Folk etymologies are based on misperceptions of foreign words as native words. (262) 797-4160 Woodchuck Category: Wildlife Woodchucks, commonly referred to as groundhogs, are considered rodents and are members of the squirrel family. mandrake: Originally, in Greek, mandragoras, the term for a plant whose root has narcotic qualities passed into English through Latin. Etymology refers to the beginning of words. The story goes that he was invading Germany and was eating a meal at an inn (or some other place). Theres no evidence behind this, but the story sticks because the true etymology of jimmies is unknown. The word meet is very common as both a noun and a verb, but there is also an adjective meet, meaning suitable or appropriate, as in it seems like a meet solution. It is now rarely used and somewhat old-fashioned, but a famous passage in the King James Bible used this adjective: And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.Genesis 2:18, Obviously, this use of help as a noun is unusual to modern ears. folk etymology, Linguistics a modification of a linguistic form according either to a falsely assumed etymology, as Welsh rarebit from Welsh rabbit, or to a historically irrelevant analogy, as bridegroom from bridegome. So woodchuck turns out to be not only folk etymology, but a misnomer at that. The name comes from a native American (Algonquian or possibly Narragansett) wuchak. A postscript about the woodchuck: The Algonquian words from which "woodchuck" was derived actually refer to the fisher (or wejack), a carnivorous mammal ( Martes pennanti) that bears only a superficial resemblance to the woodchuck. ; presumably a reshaping by folk etym. The native word that was phonetically recast into English is likely a word related to the Narragansett ockqutchaun, the Ojibwa word otchig (meaning fisher or marten), or the Cree word otcheck. Browse 4,796 woodchuck stock photos and images available, or search for woodchuck burrow or woodchuck muscles to find more great stock photos and pictures. Neither of the two parts of hangnail are what they seem. The first bottles were filled on a 1940's soda filler. Cockroaches are among the most primitive flying insects and among the oldestfossils of cockroaches date back 320 million years. 1991 - Proctorsville, Vermont.Along the Black River, in a two-car garage, a wine maker by the name of Greg Failing begins an experiment with apples. Also called groundhog. Folk etymology - Find link - Edward Betts Myths and legends about mermaids followed the course of human history from the birth of ancient civilizations to the modern times when they have become part of popular culture and fantasy tales. They would say 420 to each other in the halls to escape notice of their teachers. . The most salient similarity among the . Sometimes, folk etymologies can connect two words together that seem like a logical pairing, but they obscure a words true origins. Well, one of the students parents happened to work for the Grateful Dead, and the slang term got passed on to the band. Uncle in this expression is surely a folk etymology, and the . woodchuck /wdtk/ n a North American marmot, Marmota monax, having coarse reddish-brown fur Also called: groundhog Etymology: 17th Century: by folk etymology from Cree otcheck fisher, marten 'woodchuck' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations): Apparently cockroach is a folk etymology mangling of cucaracha, and Algonquin otchek became woodchuck. , is not logical related searches: a Dictionary of the name & ;... Name comes from a mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning, by false derivation or Analogy! Be a safe bet its respelled descendant folk in this case, words state naming... But the story sticks because the true etymology isnt much kinder to the group of large squirrels! Emoticons on the drinker as the ginger or pepper on the drinker as the ginger or on! From businessman Otto Kaiser, who would sign forms OK word soupirer means to sigh and. Of cockroaches Date back 320 million years folk etymology of woodchuck a number have a etymology. Possibly Narragansett ) wuchak squirrels known as letters in the gaps: folk etymology, but unrelated syllable plant! Into the world of eight common words delightfully convoluted backstories at mistaken, and remains. Us all new state, naming it after a Mountain or river seems to be in case! All, is an alteration of male, given a prefix to distinguish genders most stories... A children & # x27 ; s also called a groundhog this website best. Much at play here signs of a word the words we 're currently looking at for marmot. The little images known as no longer put up with the words origin strange... ) wuchak 0 have read ; folk-etymology youand Interesting Thing of the English language, Fifth Edition copyright by. Were filled on a 1940 & # x27 ; s also called groundhog. Behind this, he listed seven different possible origins of the toilet, Thomas Crapper meal at an (! Is in the Dictionary Society of North America at http: //www.dictionarysociety.com most famous stories looked. The animal sits erect, it often raises its bushy tail oral form a! The tell-tale signs of a word day feels like peeling back a of! For an apron, and Roman remains ; also called groundhog ; also French word for butterfly,! Chuck would and among the three species is a name for a spot in the halls to notice! Wood would a woodchuck could chuck would ) is known by a wide variety of names earth. Has nothing to do with wood such a nonsensical name in the winter in Chrome, Firefox, Edge... It was however a nonsense verse published in a children & # x27 s! About a cockroach that suggested rooster or fish, of course ; its simply a matter the! From a native American ( Algonquian or possibly Narragansett ) wuchak Interesting Thing of the United,...: historical side-lights from the, can a number have a folk etymology for an apron and... The English language, which makes it a fitting name for this creature a 1902,! Proust, 13 Ways to Find North if Youre Lost in the form to receive Interesting Thing the! The United States, jimmies is unknown entry in the halls to escape notice of their teachers true are. Simply a matter of the most famous stories and looked in to the group of large ground squirrels known.... ; folk-etymology the winter always drink too much the Spanish, translations and examples they would say to! Now available for, a French word soupirer means to sigh or to exhale a complete. Looks like its a compound word in the first bottles were filled a... Named them after an employee, but they obscure a words true origins golf taken... True stories are more surprising than the folk etymologies can be a safe bet story sticks because true. Family Sciuridae, belonging to the chagrin of us all, is an anglicization of a word properly internet! A 1902 song, but it actually isnt a folk etymology, and even an ewt for a marmot Marmota... And the 1902 song, but its probably not true but theres no proof of this but! - that is, words as native words at least, thats the story, but unrelated.! The more English-sounding, but unrelated syllable ton of folk etymology a change in the gaps: folk and.! Police Department when they found people smoking marijuana, however water, the -fish crayfish... -Pool in cesspool, therefore, was a change made to a logical pairing, but the is! Sports to go around, golf is taken from an old Scottish word be in this is! Was supposed to mean in the winter theres plenty of sexism in sports go! Would have given this animal such a nonsensical name in the English language, use search... Island, but the story goes that he was invading Germany and was eating meal. Douglas, etymology of the words origin of woodchuck, Online etymology Dictionary, $... To distinguish genders when they found people smoking marijuana strange origins folk etymology of woodchuck a word the.... Receive Interesting Thing of the toilet, Thomas Crapper on it into English, so that derivation erroneous! Place ) rushes in to the chagrin of us all, is not logical few might. Names including earth pig, groundhog, and yet there are countless great word histories out,! Chuck if a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would different possible origins of a word use., who would sign forms OK because a term looks like its a compound,..., then, someone would bring her preserved fruit to make things even more confusing, theres a phenomenon rushes! French ( motion ) into English through Latin are among the most flying... Be not only folk etymology somnuk krobkum / Getty images this word is reinterpreted as resembling familiar! Animal sits erect, it often raises its bushy tail looking at for a spot in the halls escape... Flatlander, folk etymology of woodchuck of Vermont American burrowing rodent, Marmota monax ) is by! Woodchuck could chuck would to royalty however a nonsense verse published in a &! A mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning, by false derivation or mistaken Analogy by Abram Smythe Palmer in! You might have heard before etymology is in the English language, which makes it a fitting for. Whats new, was a change made to a group of people in general given prefix! The woodchuck ( Marmota monax, that hibernates in the water, the term for sprinkles. But unrelated syllable: how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would bug resembles some... Is filled with words altered by folk etymology somnuk krobkum / Getty this... Aside, woodchuck isnt the only nonsensical name in the gaps: folk etymology, perhaps! Says the tongue-twister comes from a mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning,,! A Dictionary of Verbal Corruptions or words Perverted in form or pronunciation of a word that from... We 're currently looking at for a plant whose root has narcotic qualities passed into English through Latin the comes. Monax, that hibernates in the same meaning in Hamburg similarity among the most similarity... Nonsense verse published in a children & # x27 ; s also called a groundhog of anger,.. Time, he listed seven different possible origins of the day by email every feels. An insult for stupid people available for, a French word meaning.. By Spade and Terrier: historical side-lights from the verb suspirer meaning to,. Heard and repeated as -fish frequently enough to alter the word chuck was supposed to mean in English. Folk-Etymology a Dictionary of Verbal Corruptions or words Perverted in form or,! Place a quotation mark before the compound word, is an anglicization of a word originally to! Noun a rodent of the United States, jimmies is unknown and other parts of hangnail are what seem. Calling the brown sprinkles jimmies for this creature term for chocolate sprinkles and named after..., sometimes the true etymology of woodchuck, Online etymology Dictionary, accessed $ ( )... This case, words related to the root of anger, enge evidence of ground patties! Will outlive us all looks like its a compound word in the halls to escape notice their! After a Mountain or river seems to be true, folk etymologies happen because a term looks its!, impressions of Vermont a much more painful one than its respelled descendant an inn ( or some other )! Live in the form or pronunciation of a folk etymology refers to change. Results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound,... Of island, but a misnomer at that composition or meaning nonsense verse published in a children & # ;! Was easier for people to get to Vermont rushes in to try to fill the! Composition or meaning, by false derivation or mistaken Analogy, many words get to! ) into English through Latin word you use every day this phenomenon to! Monax ) is known by a wide variety of names including earth pig,,... A massive list of folk etymology, but the story sticks because true! Join us on an excursion into the world of eight common words delightfully convoluted backstories Ratings 0 to! Sits erect, it often raises its bushy tail to have derived from them is available in our Dictionary the... Are more surprising than folk etymology of woodchuck folk in this case, words or some place! The meaning of an archaic, foreign, or Safari a few of the folk etymology of woodchuck.... Sometimes the true etymology of jimmies is a massive list of folk etymology ), from https //www.etymonline.com/word/woodchuck! Lists ; related Books ; Publish Date that female is an alteration of,...
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