Whilst talking to an angel without accent (AWA) recently, I was intrigued to find that jade is one of those luvverly words which have multiple meanings from disparate roots…go on then Michael!


jade as in nag…

v.tr. To wear out, as by overuse or overindulgence. See synonyms at tire1. v.intr. To become weary or spiritless. n. A broken-down or useless horse; a nag. A woman regarded as disreputable or shrewish.
[From Middle English iade, cart-horse, nag; akin to Swedish dialectal jälda, mare, possibly of Finno-Ugric origin.]


jade as in stoned…

Either of two distinct minerals, nephrite and jadeite, that are generally pale green or white and are used mainly as gemstones or in carving. A carving made of jade. Jade green. [French (le) jade, (the) jade, alteration of (l')ejade, from Spanish (piedra de) ijada, flank (stone) (from the belief that it cured renal colic), from Vulgar Latin *iliata, from Latin ilia, pl. of ilium, flank.] >©American Hurtage Dictionary etc



What a fantastic transference of meaning, and process of elision is encompassed in the etymology from the Latin word for flank turning into a synonym for the colo[u]r green! And after all that we end up with an apparent duplicate of a word derived from a Nordic word for an old mare :)

Hmmm, now when the word for ‘flankstone’ became elided to ‘flank’, what is that process called again….?

http://rinkworks.com/words/linguistics.shtml
thx, AWA!