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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Strange bedfellows #117221 12/07/2003 5:39 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,004 London, UK shanks old hand shanks old hand Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 1,004 London, UK Found this on another forum I frequent - 'cretin' is cognate with 'Christian'! I kid you not. Now if that isn't unusual etymology, I don't know what is. I quote from my friend's post: "Cretin" derives from the French which derives from the Latin Christianus a word loosely defined as someone who's stairs don't go all the way to the top. Christianus, of course, is related to the Greek XRISTOS, "annointed one", a translation of the Hebrew MASHIACH (commonly rendered in English as "messiah"). cheer the sunshine warrior Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Strange bedfellows #117222 12/07/2003 6:05 PM Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 wwh Carpal Tunnel wwh Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 13,858 cretin SYLLABICATION: cre·tin PRONUNCIATION: krtn NOUN: 1. A person afflicted with cretinism. 2. Slang An idiot. ETYMOLOGY: French crétin, from French dialectal, deformed and mentally retarded person found in certain Alpine valleys, from Vulgar Latin *christinus, Christian, human being, poor fellow, from Latin Chrstinus, Christian. See Christian. OTHER FORMS: cretin·oid (-oid) —ADJECTIVE cretin·ous (-s) —ADJECTIVE As noted in another thread, a deficiency of iodine in Alpine soils caused by leaching of the compounds of the element from the soils, in pregnant womens diet, results in incomplete development of brain of infant. They are to be pitied. Iodized salt can prevent it. Or availability of seafood. An anomaly to call them "Christians" since they can have no comprehension of religion. And not only Christians should feel pity for them. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: Strange bedfellows #117223 12/08/2003 5:45 PM Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,624 Utter Placebo, Planet Reebok Capfka Pooh-Bah Capfka Pooh-Bah Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 1,624 Utter Placebo, Planet Reebok Although I have no proof, the use of cretin, meaning christian, would likely be a shortening of something like "child of God", in the sense of a "simple" - or intellectually-challenged person. If this is the case, the relationship would seem rather obvious, since the Christian god seems to get both the blame for the bad and the credit for the good ... Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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