Will We Ever Know? The Fascinating Mystery of Etymology Gaps
Common English Words with Origins That Are Lost to Time
The Puzzle of Language
Have you ever stopped to wonder about the history behind the words you say every day? Some might, but most of us probably go through life assuming that every word we use today has a logical, traceable backstory. But the truth is, there are more linguistic mysteries in English than you might think. Even linguists sometimes come up empty-handed on a word's origin. With all its borrowing, English somehow still has gaps—gaping black holes where a word's true origin should be. It's a language full of mystery, and today, we're diving right into these unknowns.
So, if you've ever wondered why we call a dog a dog or why shirt sounds so… well, shirty, you're in the right place. We'll explore theories, embrace the absurdity of these unknowns, and revel in the color these gaps bring to our everyday language.
Why Do Some Words Evade Explanation?
English is the ultimate linguistic scavenger. It borrows shamelessly from Latin and Greek and an entire library of others—Celtic languages, Old French, and even our Germanic siblings and cousins like Dutch, German, and Old Norse. You name it, and there's probably a word English has taken. Add in centuries of invasions, cultural shifts, and people from different regions having their local dialects mixed together through colonization and the spread of English, the de facto—and often de jure—global lingua franca. All that, and you've got a language with a lot of historical blind spots. Some words just managed to slip through the cracks.
These etymological gaps sometimes stem from regional dialects, slang, or specialized jargon that somehow survived while its origin story didn't. Occasionally, they're the linguistic equivalent of a wild game of telephone, where the starting word is so transformed that its origin is lost entirely. So, let's look at some of these words that have kept their secrets well.
The Strange Case of Animal Names
Let's start with animals. Animal names seem straightforward. You'd think, at least for something like "dog," we'd know the story. But nope—no one's sure where dog comes from beyond Old English, and the word dog replaced hound in English as the generic term for our canine companions by the 1600s. Hound, however, has a well-documented etymology. It comes from the Old English hund, which derives from the Proto-Germanic hundaz and, ultimately, the Proto-Indo-European root ḱwṓn. This PIE root has cognates across many Indo-European languages, including Latin (Canis), Greek (κύων, kyōn), and Sanskrit (śvā).
While hound now refers specifically to certain breeds or to hunting dogs more generally in modern English, it originally meant any dog. The leap from hound to dog as the primary term remains a mystery. Some suggest dog arose from regional slang or dialect, and its use as an insult toward other humans can be seen as far back as the 1200s. However, we're still in the dark about its exact origins.
English isn't the only language with a canine conundrum. Spanish, for example, has perro as its word for dog, but it, too, has a mysterious origin. The more expected Latin-derived term, canis, is preserved in more formal or scientific contexts (like canino for "canine"). Yet perro—ubiquitous in modern Spanish—has no clear Latin root. Some linguists theorize it might come from a pre-Roman Iberian language, but it's little more than speculation.
In Slavic languages, we encounter a similar puzzle. Words for "dog" like Russian собака (sobaka) and Polish pies don't trace back directly to the PIE root ḱwṓn either. Instead, they seem to have developed independently within the Slavic language family. In these languages, the PIE root survives in related words for "hound" or other specific types of dogs but not as the generic term for the animal itself.
Interestingly, by sheer coincidence, modern Chinese uses the character 犬 to refer to dogs in a way that's strikingly similar to English's modern use of hound. In Chinese, 犬 often appears in compound words for specific types of dogs, like 警犬 (jǐngquǎn, "police dog") or 牧羊犬 (mùyángquǎn, "shepherd dog"). Remarkably, in Cantonese, 犬 is pronounced hyun, which sounds similar enough to English hound that you'd be forgiven for thinking they're related. However, despite this uncanny similarity in meaning and sound, there's no credible evidence linking the two words. Their resemblance is purely coincidental. Hound stems from PIE roots, while 犬 evolved independently within the Sino-Tibetan language family. It's a fascinating reminder of how languages can occasionally stumble upon similar forms entirely by chance.
This odd coincidence, paired with the mystery of dog, shows how unpredictable language evolution can be. Why English abandoned hound for dog as its generic term is still unknown. The mysteries of dog, perro, and pies remind us that even the most basic words in our vocabulary can have origins that leave linguists scratching their heads.
Pig is another word that leaves us scratching our heads. Unlike the word "swine," which has clear Old English roots that go back to PIE, the origin of "pig" is hazy. Theories link it to older dialects or perhaps to the idea of "squealing," but nothing concrete has been established. By the early 1400s, pig had replaced swine, sow, hog, and boar as the catch-all term regardless of the animal's age and gender. It's funny how such a common barnyard animal has a name with no clear etymology.
Cat is similarly mysterious. We can trace the word back to the Latin "cattus," which likely came from Greek, Nubian, or even Berber sources to replace "feles" (the genitive form being "felinus" or feline). But where did the very first version of cat come from? No one's quite sure. This beloved creature of ancient Egypt managed to keep some of its mystery intact, even in its name.
And we can't forget the great scourge of Benedict Cumberbatch's voice-over career penguin. Theories suggest Welsh roots—pen "head" + gwyn "white"—but no one can definitively trace it. There's something poetic about this tuxedo-wearing bird having a name that no one fully understands. It's as if the penguin itself decided to keep its name a mystery.
Childhood Terms: Words with Playful Pasts
Childhood is filled with great words and expressions with surprisingly mysterious origins. We all remember the playground term cooties but try asking any adult where it came from. It's commonly thought to have originated in World War I military slang, a term for lice or other nuisances thought to have originated with the Malay word for parasitic, biting insects, kutu. Somehow, it leapt from the trenches to the playground, where it's been used ever since to label anyone carrying an imaginary "icky" quality. It's such a universal concept among (American) kids now that it's hard to pin down exactly how it made that leap.
And let's take a look at kick. While it seems straightforward now, kick has an unclear history. Its origins may be from Old Norse or Celtic. It's one of those words that feels so natural that we don't question it, yet it's a bit of a mystery how the term became part of childhood play.
Finally, brat is a term that kids and adults know well, usually used to describe a mischievous or annoying child. Brat originally was the term for a type of cloak, but its transition to meaning an unruly kid isn't clear. The first modern usage in the 1500s referred to a child or maybe just the child's apron. Even when it was used to mean children, it somehow went from meaning an unwanted or unplanned child to a behavioral problem child. And thanks to Charli XCX brat is still shifting its meaning today.
Magic and Mystery: Words Born of Superstition and the Unknown
Magic and the supernatural have always influenced language, giving us words with mysterious origins that reflect ancient beliefs and fears. Take abracadabra, that classic magician's chant. This word dates back to ancient Rome and might come from Aramaic or Hebrew, meaning "what was said has come to pass," though some think it's a nonsense charm to ward off illness. Despite centuries of use, we're still unsure of its original meaning.
The goblin is another strange case. This mischievous creature has haunted folklore across Europe, and while the word likely comes from the Middle French "gobelin," its true origin is shrouded in mystery. Some link it to German, kobold, or Ancient Greek, κόβαλος (kóbalos), yet its exact lineage remains hidden as if a goblin itself wanted to keep it that way.
Everyday Words with Surprising Mysteries
Even the simplest, most frequently used words can be surprisingly enigmatic. Take bad. It's been around since the 1300s in the sense of "inadequate" or "unsatisfactory" but only supplanted "evil" as the antithesis of "good" in the 1700s. Since bad is such a common word today, it should have an easy etymology. However, theories of it being from Old English, Old Norse, or Persian don't stick. It's simply… bad. And no one knows why.
Then there's quiz. You may have heard the urban legend about a Dublin theater owner who invented the word as part of a bet to introduce a new term, but whether that's true remains to be proven. Another equally apocryphal story says that quiz originally was "quies" and comes from Latin because oral Latin exams in the mid-1800s would start with the question "qui es?" (who are you?). Ironically, a word used to describe short tests might have multiple answers about its origin.
Sometimes, the trouble comes in distinguishing between two items: Is a tomato a fruit or a vegetable? Take shirt, for example. If you've ever come across Grimm's Law, it seems like a straightforward explanation, but its history is surprisingly tangled. The word comes from Old English scyrte, which is related to the Old Norse skyrta and German Schürze. These words originally referred to a simple tunic or garment. However, scholars still debate how it came to specifically describe the modern upper-body garment. Interestingly, skirt is derived from the same Old Norse root, but it split off to refer to a completely different type of clothing. The evolution of these sibling terms highlights the unpredictable pathways language can take.
What These Mysteries Reveal About Language
Why do we have so many gaps? For one, English is a patchwork language that has evolved quickly and chaotically. It's borrowed heavily and merged with other languages. Still, it's also dropped terms, especially those related to oral traditions or regional slang. It's like a linguistic kaleidoscope where some colors shine brightly while others disappear entirely.
These gaps also reflect the layered history of English-speaking cultures. Some words likely sprang from everyday experiences that simply weren't documented, like regional dialects or subcultures. And these gaps in knowledge make us curious, as theories fill the vacuum left by missing history. The mystery itself can be part of a word's charm and enduring appeal.
Ultimately, there's something thrilling about knowing we'll never fully understand these origins. These mystery words add a dash of wonder to English, a language that's already a bit of an oddball. The wonderful linguistics podcast Lingthusiasm put it best, etymology isn't destiny. Like all of us, words have a history, but that doesn't influence what they'll be like in the future.
So, the next time you put on a shirt to walk your dog, give a nod to the mystery behind the words. And if you know of any other words with mysterious origins—or have your own theories on these—share them! In a way, the unknowable nature of some words mirrors life itself: full of questions, open to interpretation, and ultimately, a bit mysterious.