#70549
05/19/2002 12:21 AM
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,757 |
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 etcWhat 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.shtmlthx, AWA!
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#70550
05/19/2002 1:05 PM
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear mav: marvelous. My dictionary has a small difference: it says from "ileum", bowel, not "ilium" = pelvic bone. Obviously there must be an etymological link between "ileum"=bowel, and "ilium"=pelvic bone that I had never thought of.
5Fr < Sp (piedra de) ijada, (stone of) the side, loin < VL *iliata < L ilia, pl. of ileum (see ILEUM): from the notion that it cured pains in the side6
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#70551
05/19/2002 5:28 PM
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Here's a quote from Encarta:
Despite jade's close association with China and Japan, its name has no Asian connections. It is of Latin origin, and started life as a description of the stone's medical applications. Latin ilia denoted the "sides of the lower torso," the "flanks," the part of the body where the kidneys are situated. A derivative of it passed eventually into Spanish as ijada . It was thought in former times that jade could cure pain in the renal area, so the Spanish called it piedra de ijada , literally "stone of the flanks." In due course this was reduced to simply ijada . French took it over as ejade , but subsequently l'ejade "the jade" became le jade , from which English jade is derived. ( Jade's alternative name, nephrite, is based on the same idea: it comes from Greek nephros "kidney"). For the nag one, it said 14th century, origin unknown.
I also looked up flank and, out of curiosity, nag. Encarta for flank:
[Pre-12th century. From French flanc , of uncertain origin: probably from assumed Old Frankish hlanca "side," from a prehistoric Germanic base that is also the ancestor of English flinch.]
M-W on nag:
Main Entry: 1nag
Pronunciation: 'nag
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English nagge; akin to Dutch negge small horse
Date: 15th century: HORSE; especially : one that is old or in poor condition
Main Entry: 2nag
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): nagged; nag·ging
Etymology: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse gnaga to gnaw; akin to Old English gnagan to gnaw
Date: circa 1828
intransitive senses
1 : to find fault incessantly : COMPLAIN
2 : to be a persistent source of annoyance or distraction
transitive senses
1 : to irritate by constant scolding or urging
2 : BADGER, WORRY
That's pretty cool to learn, that Dutch negge (small horse) and Norse gnaga (to gnaw) led to the same modern-English word. (Though I know this is old news to some.)
Wow--wow! I just noticed...l'ejade "the jade" became le jade . That's like, that's like, in English, a nother became another, don't you reckon? And you know what else? I can't think of anybody here in town that I could tell that to, that wouldn't just pat me kindly and turn away, but HERE, I can. Thank you, thank you!
Now, Aunt mav--see what you made me do?? Learn something!
Thanks! You know what else would be cool? If your jade word had opposing meanings, like cleave. (What's the word for that?)
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