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Eponyms and word etymology

Hope

I am currently reading a book on eponyms and word meanings - it is fascinating. I did not know before that laconic (of few words) is derived from Laconia, an ancient Greek state renouned for its Spartan living. Do any other people share this interest? I just love finding the origins of words.

  • Yes, I love all of this. I am fascinated by language. I studied English and Creative Writing for my bachelors degree.

    I love thinking also about the mechanics of how sound is formed. It is all fascinating.

    Both my dad and step-dad are also involved in language, my dad is a retired English teacher who now still gets some income from freelance editing and proofreading, and my Step-dad is also a retired teacher, mostly of English to people speaking it as a foreign language, and speaks about half a dozen languages. Smile

  • The book I got out of the Library is called Teddy Bears, Tupperware and Sweet Fanny Adams, how the names became the words, by  Andrew Sholl.

  • Oooo what an interesting topic, I love word etymology!

    I'm not even sure why, but other day I was thinking about Daedalus and the Labyrinth and how when he escapes the labyrinth he ends up hiding in the court of Cocalus in Sicily and is later tricked by Minos to show himself by solving a puzzle using a Spiral Shell and this got me thinking how the inner ear is also called the Labyrinth and in the inner ear is a Spiral shaped cavity like a snail shell and it is called the Cochlea. it turns out this is from the Latin 'Cochlea' meaning snail shell which was from the Greek 'Cocalus' meaning Spiral or Snail Shell. Im guessing in the Greek language this word came from the Greek mythology story of Daedalus. 

    Sorry if I that was boring or confusing, I dont think other people seem to enjoy words like I do (I did try to condense it though!) I haven't heard of that book either but I'll have to have a look for it! I have read The Etymologicon, it's quite an easy read where you can dip in and out if you wanted and as always the story behind the words are fascinating! 

  • I have not read ''The surgeon of Crowthorne''. I have never heard of this before.

    The book I am reading is one I chanced upon at the Library, and is in alphabetical order. It is light enough reading, but I have been taking notes on the most interesting words.

  • I'm always interested reading things about vocabulary and use of language, origins, but I don't go out of my way to research it or read up.

  • Have you read "The Surgeon of Crowthorne" by Simon Winchester, about one of the most unusual contributors to the Oxford English Dictionary?  He was looking for origins of words, not necessarily eponyms.