What is the relationship between the noun obsequy and the adjective obsequious? Anyone?

(*I'm really asking, this isn't a joke*) : )

Announcement!

The above post not only represents my first potental thread-starter here, but is my first post as a newly-graduated newbie~what a momentous day! Can't wait to reach lexist pig status!

That's this week's theme, tg. Words that look like something they ain't.

sextet - nothing to do with sex.

potatory - nothing to do with potatoes.

gyrovague - nothing to do with gyroscopes (or gyros for that matter) or vagueness.

discommode - nothing to do with the potty.

and

obsequy - nothing to do with obsequiousness.

Well, except the last three anyway seemed to have some etymological relation.

On the rare occasions I encounter the word, I can't help laughing again at that immortal section of Huckleberry Finn where the Duke and the King conduct the funeral orgies of a deceased notable. And to think this is one of the most frequently banned books in the U.S.

Congratulations, lexist piglet!

In case of confaldaging, try this:

ob·se·quy (ŏb'sĭ-kwç)
n., pl. -quies.
A funeral rite or ceremony. Often used in the plural.
[Middle English obsequi, from Old French obseque, from Medieval Latin obsequiae, alteration (influenced by Latin exsequiae, funeral rites) of Latin obsequia, pl. of obsequium, compliance, dutiful service; see obsequious.]

ob·se·qui·ous (ŏb-sç'kwç-əs, əb-)
adj.
Full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning.
[Middle English, from Latin obsequiôsus, from obsequium, compliance, from obsequî, to comply : ob-, to; see ob– + sequî, to follow.]
ob·se'qui·ous·ly adv.
ob·se'qui·ous·ness n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Dear teresag: After reading maverick's post, I'm reminded of a bumper sticker I saw a long time ago:

If you're not confused, you just don't understand the situation.

(no offense meant to maverick)

I'm reminded of a bumper sticker I saw a long time ago

Not to mention ESCHEW OBFUSCATION

it's real simple, the (etymological) connection between the two is obsequium, in the sense of service - funereal or servile.
-ron obvious

obsequy - nothing to do with obsequiousness.
Apparently not entirely true - both referring to compliance.
(Who is more compliant, in a non-physical way, than a dead person?)

sextet - nothing to do with sex.
Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day, the possibilities for sex without two partners notwithstanding.

etc.

Which leaves me to wonder about the rest of Anu's "unrelated" words. Anyone know?
My faith in Anu lies broken upon the rocks. (Or is it my "confidence?" Don't answer.)

Before the thread comes to an end, can anybody tell me why the herring should be red? I've seen a lot of herrings, but never a red one. In the original phrase about drawing a red herring across the trail to confuse the dogs, the dogs couldn't tell or care what color the herring was.
Maybe this is the answer:

A herring that has been dried, salted and smoked turns a reddish colour.
These cured fish have a particularly strong smell, so in medieval times
they were useful as a lure for training hounds in stag hunting.

Later, people who were opposed to fox hunting would drag a red herring
across the fox's trail and entice the hounds away from the scent of their
quarry.

sextet - nothing to do with sex. Adam and Eve were created on the sixth day, the possibilities for sex without two partners notwithstanding.

This reminded me of a writing technique, used by several well-published writers, where the author created the plot of a book by configuring a plot around several randomly chosen words. The magic, they often said, was in the subconscious. A much more interesting story could be had if you start with such an odd (or random) framework.

We could look at sextet and think of a hundred fascinating etymological ways it could relate to sex.

Brandon

>Which leaves me to wonder about the rest of Anu's "unrelated" words. Anyone know?

okay, let's look at commode (the noun) and discommode (a verb)

to start with, commode comes directly from French and can be thought of, generally, as a convenience of sorts. in turn this comes from the F adj. commode, from L commodus convenient, accommodating.

discommode, meaning to inconvenience, comes from the obsolete verb commode, to suit, to put in order, to accommodate.

QED2

[gyrovague is also easy, the L root -vagus means wandering and gyrus means circuit]

According to Charles Funk, in A Hog on Ice:

Red herring is nothing more than herring that has been cured by smoke, a process that changes the color of the flesh to a reddish hue. The herring is intended to be eaten after such curing, but dog trainers learned long ago that red herring had a peculiarly persistent odor and was very useful, if trailed over the ground, for training a dog to follow a scent.

Which leaves me to wonder about the rest of Anu's "unrelated" words. Anyone know? My faith in Anu lies broken upon the rocks.

Not too fast now. He never said that they were completely unrelated, he just said that they weren't what they appear:

This week's AWAD visits these red-herring words, words with meanings that are not the first things that come to mind.