It’s been a while since I did an Etymology Rocks entry, but in a round about way, I ended up hearing, seeking the origins of, and really liking the word “Harlot” recently so I decided to share, though unlike a Harlot we need not arrange a price for such sharing. I think we should bring it back, and keep it real Middle English.

har·lot /ˈhɑrlət/ Pronunciation Key – Show Spelled Pronunciation[hahr-luht]
-noun
a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money

[Middle English, vagabond, rogue, lecher, harlot, from Old French arlot, herlot, vagabond.]

Though more contemporary uses of the word refer to female prostitutes, it used to be a term that referred exclusively to males. The earliest English record of the word comes from the mid 1200′s and indicated “a man of no fixed occupation, vagabond, beggar.” I guess they had Corey Haims back then too (please tell me you’re watching The Two Coreys). By the 14th century, we see its usage transformed to a derogatory term for a female, but we don’t know how it evolved to female from male (passing on the cliche Michael Jackson reference). By the 17th century, use of it in reference to males had disappeared, and now it is only for women just like the Mazda Miata.

For those of you who roll with the Renaissance Fair crowd (and therefore know the sensations of carnal pleasure exclusively through harlots) you may recall this word from some of Bill Shakespeare’s work like The Comedy of Errors – “Dissembling Harlot, thou art false in all” (4.2.22-5). It’s kind of the prelude to a middle English version of a domestic.

The word may also have triggered your recollection of certain versions of Isaiah 1:21. No heathens, I speak not of the IQ of Isaiah Thomas which is decidedly less than 121, I speak of the biblical passage in which Isaiah says some stuff about Jerusalem that I assume is negative because he talks about “the faithful city becoming a harlot”, which in my opinion is no way for a prophet to talk even when he is understandably upset. Don’t ask me for any further analysis though cause my biblical knowledge is basically limited to the bottom of In N’ Out packaging.

Finally, to hasten popular usage of the term in society, I would like to suggest a corporation with various Harlot-themed business ventures most of which will not be permitted in the US:

• Harlot’s Web – an animated series chronicling the exploits of promiscuous spiders set on a farm. It’s basically an animated, rural, less-annoying, arachno-centric “Sex and the City”.
• Harlottery – a harlot themed casino complete with more “getting lucky” double entendre than anyone in their right mind can tolerate.
• Har dee har harlotry – a comedy club with harlot comedians.

You’re welcome.
Reference: harlot. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harlot (accessed: July 14, 2008)

I don’t know what it is with me and words/names that start with “Sar” lately, but anyway…

Sardonic
sar·don·ic [sahr-don-ik]
-adjective
characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering; a sardonic grin.

The word is traced to 1638 and the French Sardonique, however it stems farther back to the Greek Sardonios or “Sardinian” because the Greeks believed that eating Sardonion, a plant whose name literally means “from Sardinia” caused facial convulsions consistent with those of sardonic laughter, usually followed by death.

Now you may be used to the facial convulsions induced by other plants, but that Sardonion must have been interesting stuff. I’d be willing to bet you can still get it in Nevada, but unfortunately my eBay search for Sardonion was fruitless. And speaking of fruit, it seems that, you guessed it, the word Sardine likely also shares the same Greek roots, however, there are references to the fish sardinos as far back as Aristotle, and it has been posited that the Greeks would not have gone as far as Sardinia to obtain fish at that relatively early stage. Duhhh. You’ll have to debate it at length amongst yourselves, you closet ichthyologists.

Source:
“sardonic.” Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper, Historian. 29 Aug. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sardonic>.

It’s been a while since I did an Etymology rocks posting, so I figured I would share with you some interesting information on a something near and dear to my heart (no, not stroopwaffels)…

Sarcasm (Sarkastyczny for those of you who only speak Polish)
sar·casm     [sahr-kahz-uhm]
-noun

1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark.

Now the definition is surely nothing new to you, but it’s the etymology which you may find interesting. The origin of the word stems from the Latin sarcasmus and the Greek sarkasmos, a derivative of sarkazein, to rend as in flesh, or to bite the lips in rage. This is what is interesting. The “sarco” prefix is a Greek combining form meaning “flesh” which is used in the formation of compound words.

Therefore, sarcasm is closely related to the word sarcophagus which you know pertains to a stone coffin usually found with inscriptions and frequently associated with Egyptian mummies. This term stems from the Greek sarcophagous which means carnivorous, or literally flesh-eating, and sarcasm seems to have a similar connotation as stated above.

Indeed the word sarcasm has more morbid origins than you may have known about, and I bet you and your flesh-biting sense of humor feel smarter already….

Source:

sarcasm. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sarcasm (accessed: August 14, 2007).

tran·scen·den·tal [tran-sen-den-tl]
-adjective

1. transcendent, surpassing, or superior.
2. being beyond ordinary or common experience, thought, or belief; supernatural.
3. abstract or metaphysical
4. Philosophy
   a. beyond the contingent and accidental in human experience, but not beyond all human knowledge.

OK, this one isn’t as much Etymology as it is a definition because I don’t really see much about the origin of this word. Perhaps one of you smart people can help me out. Remember, I said smart.

I think Transcendental is being highly under utilized though, mostly because it would be such a kick-ass name for a dental clinic. I can see it now…the place would be filled with psychedelic art, the doctors would refer to themselves as “Transendentists”, and their uniforms would be slightly unbuttoned Nehru jackets and capri pants, while the dental assistants would wear retro flight attendant uniforms and go-go boots. The experience would definitely be beyond ordinary thanks to the skittles-flavored vicodins with yellow happy faces painted on them given away en masse at every visit. Best…dental appointment….ever….

Quite honestly, the philosophy part I don’t fully understand, but it seems to include the idea that knowledge can be intuitive and independent of experience. This means that being a Transcendentist at our clinic may not require a college degree, or that they might have one from Cal State Dominguez Hills which is the same thing.

Special note, the word selected for this installment of “Etymology rocks” comes from DavidGorcey.com reader, subscriber, and frequent commenter, Jenn.

Troika has a few different meanings and derives from Russian (1835-45). Yes, Russian speakers, I know it’s primary definition is “a carriage, wagon, or sleigh (laden completely with Vodka and AK-47s most likely)  drawn by three horses/babushkas abreast.”

The most usable definition for those of us who were happy to see Ivan Drago go down, however, is as follows:

Troika
troi·ka [troi-kuh]
-noun 

any group of three persons, nations, etc., acting equally in unison to exert influence, control, or the like.
At first glance I was reminded of perestroika, the Gorbachev program of economic and political reform in the Soviet Union dating to the mid 80′s. At second glance, I thought it would make a great name for a Hungarian candy bar…imagine yourself in Budapest…”Uh, hello there, I’d like a Fanta, a pack of Lucky Strikes, and a troika, please.”

Anyway, I say we bring this one into the fold of the popular English vernacular. Try to find new ways to use troika in normal conversations by using it to describe your crew, group of friends, or similar assemblage of people with it:

• “Yo, my troika and I are getting out of here, see you later”
• “I’d love to, but I’m making rice crispy treats with the troika tonight”
• “Dude, there was a troika of hot girls in that place”

I eagerly await your additions to this list.

I sometimes come across words I don’t know the meaning of (“No”, for example), and rather than moving on with my day, I like to figure out what they mean. In this installment of “Etymology Rocks”, we have the word “Suzerain”.

I no doubt came across this word while reading about conquering of some sort, because the definition is as follows, according to Dictionary.com:

Suzerain [soo-zuh-rin]:
-noun
1. a sovereign or a state exercising political control over a dependent state.

The American Heritage Dictionary traces the word back to Old French (suserain), so it must be left over from a long forgotten time when the French may have been in a position to control something, and needed a way to express it.

Although the potential application of this word in your everyday life is limited, for those of you with friends named “Susan”, you may find that the word provides a new, confusing, and generally inappropriate nickname for her. I have a 2nd cousin with that name which no one in my family has talked to in years, but I’m thinking about re-establishing contact with her just for the material…