• rainbow: rain-bow (not like a hair bow, mind you, a BOW like... BOW AND ARROW)
• cooperate: co-operate (like, two people working together to operate something)
• coordinate: co-ordinate (as in, two directions together indicating a specific point on a grid!)
• creative: It's related to the word, create. Yeah. Blows my mind
• Diagon Alley: Diagonally.
• Altitude: The latin root alta means tall (well, at least in Spanish alta means tall)
Some words/abbreviations/contractions I'm still a little iffy about:
• Bobby pin. Why?
• Charles = Chuck? Since when?
• Pound = lb
• Can not = can't. Will not = won't. What?
• Also... where do symbols come from? Who decided that $ should signify money?
4 comments:
Pound = lb
This comes from the latin. "Libra" (just like in the zodiac) refers to the scales that things were weighed on. The abbreviation "lb" for libra continues to be used in English, even though we use a translated form ("pound") of what it is abbreviating!
The origin of the dollar sign is a bit more murky. There are several different explanations. The most probably is that it comes from a Spanish mint mark. The mark was a symbol of Charles V used on silver mined in the new world-- two columns with an inscribed banner ("plus ultra") wrapped around them. The banner was originally drawn as more of a horizontal squiggle (~) than the vertical "s" shape we're used to now. (Some theories are that it was changed to look more like an 8 because the silver Spanish dollar coins thus marked were also known as "pieces of eight.")
No one knows for certain if this story is the right one, though. ;)
thanks, um... who are you?
hahahahah!
It messes with your head when random unknown people read your blog and then answer questions like big nerds, doesn't it?
2 hints.
1- I *am* a super big nerd (and you would totally expect me to have obscure trivia like this in my head... and to share it).
2- You don't recognize my name because you've been trained to use my last name, not my first name. :)
Don't worry, sweetie. I'm not stalking you-- I found your blog via KT & Albs' blogs. :D
Happy summer!
oh WENTZ!!! I'm so so grateful that you found my blog. I you should read my post: "Weird" I think you will appreciate it. You probably have some more profound insights. Also i make a nerdish reference to Star Trek. Let me know! Plus, why can't I access YOUR blog? I'd LOVE to read it.
Post a Comment