participatory etymology

Participatory Etymology

Participatory etymology is a type of folk etymology in which the origin of a word is attributed to a humorous or creative explanation. It involves the participation of individuals in crafting the purported origin of a word.

Meaning

Participatory etymology often results in the creation of new words or meanings based on popular belief or imagination, rather than historical or linguistic accuracy. These made-up etymologies are typically playful, humorous, or satirical.

Origin

The term "participatory etymology" was first coined by the linguist Jesse Sheidlower in 1997. It originated as a way to describe the phenomenon of individuals contributing to the creation of new etymologies for words, often through online discussion forums and social media.

Examples

Some well-known examples of participatory etymology include:

• Nice (adjective): Believed to derive from the French phrase "nichts," meaning "nothing" (incorrect; actually derived from the Latin "nescius," meaning "ignorant")
• Dumb (adjective): Allegedly coined by American soldiers in World War I to refer to someone who couldn't speak German (incorrect; actually derived from the Old English "dumb," meaning "mute")
• Booger (noun): Said to have originated from the sound made when mucus is picked from the nose (incorrect; possibly derived from the Middle English "boge," meaning "goblin")

Characteristics

Participatory etymologies tend to be:

• Humorous: They aim to elicit laughter or amusement.
• Creative: They often involve imaginative or far-fetched explanations.
• Informal: They are not typically found in academic or scholarly works.
• Unverified: They lack historical or linguistic evidence to support their claims.

While participatory etymology can be entertaining and sometimes insightful, it is important to note that it does not provide reliable information about the actual origin of words.

participatory relate terms

• participate

  Etymology Middle English participien from Old French participle from Latin participi

• participation

  Etymology The word participation originates from the Latin word participatio which

• representative

  Etymology The word representative comes from the Latin word representare which means

• democracy

  Etymology The word democracy is derived from the Greek words dēmos δήμος mea

• liberal

  Etymology The term liberal originates from the Latin word liberalis which means per

• porcelain

  Etymology Old French porcelaine Italian porcellana Latin porcellus piglet Meanin

• enthusiasm

  Etymology Enthusiasm comes from the Greek word enthousiasmos which means divine in

• magistrate

  Etymology The word magistrate is derived from the Latin word magistratus which orig

• overcome

  Etymology Over from the Old English ofer meaning above or upon Come from the Ol

• remedy

  Etymology The word remedy comes from the Latin word remedium which means a cure or

• pink

  Etymology The word pink comes from the Middle English word pinke which in turn deri