Wordorigins.org

Wordorigins.org is devoted to the origins of words and phrases, or as a linguist would put it, to etymology. Etymology is the study of word origins. (It is not the study of insects; that is entomology.) Where words come from is a fascinating subject, full of folklore and historical lessons. Often, popular tales of a word’s origin arise. Sometimes these are true; more often they are not. While it can be disappointing when a neat little tale turns out to be untrue, almost invariably the true origin is just as interesting.

The discovery of platinum, element 78, was announced in 1748 by Spanish scientist and colonial administrator Antonio de Ulloa, who had found the metal in the New World. The Spanish named the metal platina, little silver, on account of its resemblance to that metal. The name platina began to appear in English writings in 1752. In 1782, Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman latinized the Spanish name to platinum in his Sciagraphia regni mineralis, which was written in Latin.¹ Subsequently, the latinized version of the name caught on.

The chemical symbol for platinum is Pt.

¹Oxford English Dictionary, platinum, 3rd Edition, June 2009, Oxford University Press, accessed 4 November 2009, http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50181099.

We’re all familiar with the image of the crotchety grammarian, going off on some pet peeve or perceived a"abuse" of the language. Most of the time, these people can be either ignored, or, if they’re in a position of authority like a teacher or boss, temporarily accommodated. But occasionally, someone’s misinterpretation of grammatical principles can have real consequences. And when that misinterpretation is done by a US Supreme Court justice, the situation can be downright scary.

Iridium, element 77, was discovered in 1803 by English chemist Smithson Tennant. Tennant named the new element after the Greek goddess Iris, a messenger goddess, represented by the rainbow. Writing in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1804, Tennant explains:

I should incline to call this metal Iridium, from the striking variety of colours which it gives, while dissolving in marine acid.¹

The word iridescent also comes from the goddess’s name.

The chemical symbol for iridium is Ir.

¹Oxford English Dictionary, iridium, 2nd Edition, 1989, Oxford University Press, accessed 3 November 2009, http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50121124. 

Osmium, element 76, was discovered in 1803 by English chemist Smithson Tennant. Tennant named the new element after the Greek όσμή (osme), meaning odor, writing in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society in 1804:

A pungent and peculiar smell [...] This smell [...] arises from the extrication of a very volatile metallic oxide; and, as this smell is one of its most distinguishing characters, I should on that account incline to call the metal Osmium.¹

The chemical symbol for osmium is Os.

¹Oxford English Dictionary, osmium, 3rd Edition, September 2009, Oxford University Press, accessed 2 November 2009, http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/00334489. 

Geoffrey Pullum points out a truly horrendous example of a bad grammar book over at Language Log. He indicates that more examples are coming. I hope so; he makes a valid point that grammar is one area where you can establish yourself as an expert without knowing the first thing about the subject. (The most famous case, of course, being Strunk and White and the passive voice.)

But I do disagree with him about the “fat royalty checks.” As the author of a reasonably well selling book on language, I can say with assurance that the checks aren’t so fat. It’s not a gig you do for the money. (Exception: Lynne Truss, whose execrable book was accompanied by an absolutely brilliant marketing campaign.)

Rhenium, element 75, is named for the Rhineland region of Germany. Rhenus is the Latin name for the river Rhine. The element was discovered in 1925 by German chemists Walter Noddack, Ida Tacke, and Otto Berg. From the Glasgow Herald of 16 June 1925:

These new elements have been named by their discoverers “Masurium,” after the Masurian Lake region, and “Rhenium,” after the Rhineland.¹

(Masurium is an early name for the element now known as technetium.)

The chemical symbol for rhenium is Re.

¹Oxford English Dictionary, rhenium, 2nd Edition, 1989, Oxford University Press, accessed 1 November 2009, http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50205903.

Tungsten, element 74, was identified as a distinct element in 1783 by Spanish Basque brothers and chemists Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar. The name, however, is older, being used to refer to the ore in which the element is found. The word tungsten is a borrowing from Swedish, where it is a compound of tung (heavy) + sten (stone). Its English use dates to at least 1770.¹

John McWhorter contemplates whether language death is really all that bad a thing.

He very much reflects my opinion on the matter. While the loss of languages is a definite blow to linguistic research and understanding, socially its effects may actually be beneficial to the isolated speakers of the rare tongues that are dying. And besides, it is happening whether we like it or not and there seems to be very little we can do about it except record as much of the dying languages as we can before they are gone.

OUP has put out a couple of videos of Ammon Shea, author of Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21730 Pages, commenting on the new Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary. First up, Love, Pregnancy, and Venereal Disease:

And then, comments on how the thesaurus is organized and how one can encounter some rare treasures in its pages:

Hat tip to the OUP Blog.

(Disclosure: Oxford University Press is the publisher of my book, Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends. Additionally, if you click through the links and make a purchase, I receive a very small referral payment from Amazon.com.)