David Tickner's Blog, page 3
March 10, 2025
Alterity
Have you ever had an experience that was so surprising or strange that it challenged your whole way of thinking about something? Something that called your life into question? Something that demanded a radical response—a Yes or a No. For example, “Oh my God, yes, why didn’t I see that before!?” or “No bloody way that could be true!”
Such intrusions into your ways of thinking and being are called experiences of alterity.
Merriam-Webster defines alterity as ‘otherness’; “specifically: the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or to a particular cultural orientation.”
Alterity, which first appears in English in the 1640s, comes from Middle English alterite (change, state of being changed; difference), Latin alteritas, and Latin alter (second, other; the other of two).
Latin alter has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root al-(1) meaning beyond. The English verb ‘to alter’, from the late 14th century, means to change something or to make something different in some way. Such a change is something which you did not see coming. It is a change that was beyond your awareness until it arrived in front of you.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alterity
Such intrusions into your ways of thinking and being are called experiences of alterity.
Merriam-Webster defines alterity as ‘otherness’; “specifically: the quality or state of being radically alien to the conscious self or to a particular cultural orientation.”
Alterity, which first appears in English in the 1640s, comes from Middle English alterite (change, state of being changed; difference), Latin alteritas, and Latin alter (second, other; the other of two).
Latin alter has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root al-(1) meaning beyond. The English verb ‘to alter’, from the late 14th century, means to change something or to make something different in some way. Such a change is something which you did not see coming. It is a change that was beyond your awareness until it arrived in front of you.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alterity
March 8, 2025
Clue
“I don’t have a clue what he is taking about. I can never follow the thread of what he is saying.”
The Germanic word clew, also seen in Middle English as clewe or cleue, referred to a ball of thread or yarn.
Over time, the word clew evolved to become the word clue. By the 1590s, a clue was something that guides or directs in an intricate case; for example, the clues in a puzzle or a game or a murder mystery. The use of clue to mean that which points the way is from the 1620s. The use of clue to refer to something that bewildered person does not have is from 1948.
Would it help to know that the word clue or clew supposedly has its origins in the Labyrinth story from Greek mythology?
In the story, Theseus and his lover Ariadne enter the Labyrinth to kill a monster known as the Minotaur. Ariadne gives Theseus a ball of yarn or thread to unroll as they work their way into the Labyrinth so as to mark their path back out of the Labyrinth after accomplishing their mission.
The adjective clueless, meaning trackless, is from 1817. Clueness, meaning ignorant or uninformed, from 1943, is reported to have its origins in Royal Air Force slang from the 1930s. Clueless, as a term of student slang (“They’re clueless”), is from 1985.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The Germanic word clew, also seen in Middle English as clewe or cleue, referred to a ball of thread or yarn.
Over time, the word clew evolved to become the word clue. By the 1590s, a clue was something that guides or directs in an intricate case; for example, the clues in a puzzle or a game or a murder mystery. The use of clue to mean that which points the way is from the 1620s. The use of clue to refer to something that bewildered person does not have is from 1948.
Would it help to know that the word clue or clew supposedly has its origins in the Labyrinth story from Greek mythology?
In the story, Theseus and his lover Ariadne enter the Labyrinth to kill a monster known as the Minotaur. Ariadne gives Theseus a ball of yarn or thread to unroll as they work their way into the Labyrinth so as to mark their path back out of the Labyrinth after accomplishing their mission.
The adjective clueless, meaning trackless, is from 1817. Clueness, meaning ignorant or uninformed, from 1943, is reported to have its origins in Royal Air Force slang from the 1930s. Clueless, as a term of student slang (“They’re clueless”), is from 1985.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
February 19, 2025
Solitude
The noun solitude (the state of being alone, remoteness from society) came to English in the mid-14th century from 14th century Old French solitude (loneliness). These words are from Latin solitudinem (loneliness, a being alone; a lonely place, desert, wilderness) and solus (alone).
The Online Etymological Dictionary, referring to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), states that the word solitude was “not in common use in English until the 17th century.”
Interestingly, the 17th century was also the time when the words individual and individualism had come to “indicate separateness.” An individual is “one that exists as a distinct entity” in relation to a community or society. An individual is “a person unique from other people and possessing their own needs or goals, rights and responsibilities” (Wikipedia).
In brief, the noun solitude means the state of being alone. Solitary is an adjective meaning alone or without companions.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual
The Online Etymological Dictionary, referring to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), states that the word solitude was “not in common use in English until the 17th century.”
Interestingly, the 17th century was also the time when the words individual and individualism had come to “indicate separateness.” An individual is “one that exists as a distinct entity” in relation to a community or society. An individual is “a person unique from other people and possessing their own needs or goals, rights and responsibilities” (Wikipedia).
In brief, the noun solitude means the state of being alone. Solitary is an adjective meaning alone or without companions.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual
February 15, 2025
Friend
The word friend has its origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root pri (to love) and PIE priy-ont (loving). These terms are the source of the Proto-Germanic word frijojands (lover, friend).
Proto-Germanic frijojands is the source of words such as Old Norse fraendi, Old Danish frynt, Old Frisian friund, Dutch vriend, German Freund, and Old English freond (one attached to another by feelings of personal regard and preference).
And over the years freond became friend.
Interestingly, the PIE term pri is the source of the common Sanskrit and Hindi name Priya (dear, beloved). Similarly, the common Hebrew name David also means beloved.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Proto-Germanic frijojands is the source of words such as Old Norse fraendi, Old Danish frynt, Old Frisian friund, Dutch vriend, German Freund, and Old English freond (one attached to another by feelings of personal regard and preference).
And over the years freond became friend.
Interestingly, the PIE term pri is the source of the common Sanskrit and Hindi name Priya (dear, beloved). Similarly, the common Hebrew name David also means beloved.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
February 7, 2025
Jubilee
The word jubilee has its origins in ancient Hebrew yobhel meaning jubilee (formerly meaning a trumpet or a ram’s horn). The original jubilee was a year of emancipation of slaves and restoration of lands to be celebrated every 50th year (Leviticus 25.9). The jubilee was proclaimed by a sounding of a ram’s horn.
The word jubilee, in this Old Testament sense, came to English in the late 14th century from 14th century Old French jubileu (anniversary, rejoicing), Latin iubilaeus (the jubilee year), Greek iabelaios, and Hebrew yobhel.
Later, the word jubilee was altered by association with the unrelated Latin word iubilare (to shout with joy), the origin of the word jubilant. Jubilee in the sense of a season of rejoicing is from the mid-15th century. Also, in English, the word jubilee came to be associated with the celebration of 50th anniversaries.
The English word jubilant, from the 1660s, is from Latin iubilare (to let out whoops; to shout for joy) and iubilum (wild shout). These words have their source in Proto-Italic iu (an exclamation of joy) which is also the source words such as Greek iu (an interjection of amazement), Middle High German ju, juch (an exclamation of joy), and Englis yowl.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The word jubilee, in this Old Testament sense, came to English in the late 14th century from 14th century Old French jubileu (anniversary, rejoicing), Latin iubilaeus (the jubilee year), Greek iabelaios, and Hebrew yobhel.
Later, the word jubilee was altered by association with the unrelated Latin word iubilare (to shout with joy), the origin of the word jubilant. Jubilee in the sense of a season of rejoicing is from the mid-15th century. Also, in English, the word jubilee came to be associated with the celebration of 50th anniversaries.
The English word jubilant, from the 1660s, is from Latin iubilare (to let out whoops; to shout for joy) and iubilum (wild shout). These words have their source in Proto-Italic iu (an exclamation of joy) which is also the source words such as Greek iu (an interjection of amazement), Middle High German ju, juch (an exclamation of joy), and Englis yowl.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Piss
What sound comes to mind when you hear the word piss? Do you hear the sound of pissing?!
The verb ‘to piss’ (to urinate) appears in English around 1300 as pissen, from 12th century Old French pissier (to urinate) and Latin pissiare (to urinate). The origins of the word piss are from the imitation of the sound of pissing.
The verb ‘to pee’, a euphemistic abbreviation for piss meaning to spray with urine, is from 1788. The verb ‘to pee’, meaning to urinate, is from 1879. The term pee-pee is from 1923.
The noun piss (urine) is from the late 14th century.
Terms related to piss include piss-prophet (one who diagnoses diseases by the inspection of urine) from the 1620s, piss proud (erect upon awakening) from 1796, piss and vinegar (vim, full of energy) from 1942, piss-poor, piss-ugly (both from the 1940s).
Pissed meaning drunk is from 1929. The word pissed meaning angry is from 1946. The term pissed off meaning angry or fed up are from military usage in the 1940s. Pissed off was in common usage by the 1970s.
The British term ‘piss off’ meaning “Go away” is from 1958. The US expression ‘piss off’ meaning to annoy someone (“You piss me off!”) is from 1968.
The British terms ‘to take the piss out of’ or ‘taking the piss’, meaning to make fun of or to laugh at someone, have an uncertain origin although they appear to have been in use since the 1930s.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The verb ‘to piss’ (to urinate) appears in English around 1300 as pissen, from 12th century Old French pissier (to urinate) and Latin pissiare (to urinate). The origins of the word piss are from the imitation of the sound of pissing.
The verb ‘to pee’, a euphemistic abbreviation for piss meaning to spray with urine, is from 1788. The verb ‘to pee’, meaning to urinate, is from 1879. The term pee-pee is from 1923.
The noun piss (urine) is from the late 14th century.
Terms related to piss include piss-prophet (one who diagnoses diseases by the inspection of urine) from the 1620s, piss proud (erect upon awakening) from 1796, piss and vinegar (vim, full of energy) from 1942, piss-poor, piss-ugly (both from the 1940s).
Pissed meaning drunk is from 1929. The word pissed meaning angry is from 1946. The term pissed off meaning angry or fed up are from military usage in the 1940s. Pissed off was in common usage by the 1970s.
The British term ‘piss off’ meaning “Go away” is from 1958. The US expression ‘piss off’ meaning to annoy someone (“You piss me off!”) is from 1968.
The British terms ‘to take the piss out of’ or ‘taking the piss’, meaning to make fun of or to laugh at someone, have an uncertain origin although they appear to have been in use since the 1930s.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
February 2, 2025
Tariff
The word tariff has its origins in Arabic ta’rif (information, notification, making known; an inventory of fees to be paid) and arafa (he made known, he taught).
The word tariff came to English in the 1590s meaning an arithmetical table, an official list of customs duties on goods for import or export, and a law regulating import duties. The word tariff came to English from Arabic via Latin tarifa (list of prices, book of rates) and Italian tariffa (price, assessment).
During the medieval period, Arabs dominated much of the trade and commerce in countries bordering the Mediterranean. “The word [tariff] passed to English from the commercial jargon of the medieval Mediterranean (compare garble, jar, average, orange, tabby, etc.)” (Online Etymological Dictionary).
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The word tariff came to English in the 1590s meaning an arithmetical table, an official list of customs duties on goods for import or export, and a law regulating import duties. The word tariff came to English from Arabic via Latin tarifa (list of prices, book of rates) and Italian tariffa (price, assessment).
During the medieval period, Arabs dominated much of the trade and commerce in countries bordering the Mediterranean. “The word [tariff] passed to English from the commercial jargon of the medieval Mediterranean (compare garble, jar, average, orange, tabby, etc.)” (Online Etymological Dictionary).
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
January 26, 2025
Imaginal
That hidden presence
which is only seen by the
eye of reverence
Tacitus (56 – 120 CE), Germania
First, the etymology of the words image, imagine, imagination, imaginative, imaginary, and imaginal. Then, a more detailed consideration of the word imaginal.
These six words have their origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root aim- (to copy), in Latin imitari (to copy, to imitate), and in Latin imaginem (copy, imitation, likeness; phantom, ghost, apparition; idea, appearance).
When the noun image first appeared in English around 1200, it meant a piece of statuary or an artificial representation that looks like a person or thing.
The meaning of image as reflection in a mirror is from the early 14th century. The sense of a mental image in the mind is from the late 14th century.
The use of image referring to a public impression is from 1908. However, image did not become widely used in this sense until the 1950s, particularly the use of the term in the jargon of advertising and public relations.
The verb ‘to imagine’, from the mid-14th century meaning to form a mental image of something which is not present, came to English from Old French imaginer (to sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish) and Latin imaginari (to form a mental picture). The use of imagine meaning to assume or suppose is from the late 14th century; for example, “So I would imagine that they would not have been at home at the time.”
The noun imagination meaning the faculty of the mind to form and manipulate images is from the mid-14th century.
The adjective imaginative used to describe someone given to imagining is from the late 14th century. Imaginative, describing something resulting from imagination, is from 1829.
The adjective imaginary, from the late 14th century, meaning something existing only within the imagination (for example, fantasy, illusion, hallucination), but not in a person’s external reality.
The adjective imaginal has various applications. The word imaginal, from 1638, describes the images and imagery—products of the imagination. Such imaginal products or devices, like similes and metaphors, are non-rational ways to comprehend the world and people. From 1877, the imaginal is also an idealized mental image of another person or self (1877).
The imaginal can be considered as an ‘artful’ way of responding to the world (and to the artfulness of the world). The world can evoke imaginal responses. The term ‘imaginal realm’ is used to describe the places from which and by which the creative imagination works. For example, “Movies, plays, poems, artworks, and songs depend upon our ability to interact with images and to feel alongside, or for, or against the images and characters we encounter. Our brains love to imagine things. It’s actually how our brains work” (McLaren, 2010).
In brief, the Imaginal is that which is created by the processes and ‘devices’ of the imagination as it engages with what the senses present to the mind.
[Note: In entomology (not to be confused with etymology!), the adjective imaginal refers to the noun imago—the final or adult stage of an insect (1797). There must be a metaphor in there somewhere when thinking of the imaginal and imagination!]
Some further thoughts on the imaginal
Sometimes we perceive or, perhaps more dramatically, encounter within our lives an ‘otherness’ or a ‘not-me-ness’, something that cannot be explained. For example, “I had this experience—what will I call it? How will I describe it to others?” We are invited or even compelled to chose how we will relate to this. How will we express to others (or to self) that which has happened?
Being in such an ‘imaginal realm’ can seem like being in an ‘other world’ in the midst of ‘this world’. We find ourselves in a liminal or ‘thin’ space between these two worlds (or realities). Such imaginal moments often evoke a sense of awe and wonder, even grace. Such moments can evoke a dramatic, “Aha!” At other times, perhaps, may they feel like a simple tap on the shoulder.
In any case, we are called to use our creative imagination in order to find ways to express or represent this experience and our relationship to this experience of ‘otherness’.
Such an otherness is neither a purely sensory empirical experience nor a purely intellectual understanding. Experiencing the reality of such otherness is both objective and subjective. These two elements of knowing are interdependent (Leloup, 2002, 16):
“Between [empirical observation and intellectual understanding] lies a vast intermediate realm of image and representation that is just as ontologically real as the worlds of sense and intellect. But this requires a faculty of perception that is peculiar to it alone … it is none other than the power of the creative imagination [which Henry Corbin so eloquently names as the imaginal]” (Leloup, 2002, 14). [Italics mine].
Such a realm is just as ‘real’ as a sensory or intellectual experience.
Some questions
Can developing and deepening connections with other people be considered in terms of ‘artfulness’? Consider a deep and enduring friendship, a sense of team spirit, a creating a positive learning environment with a group of learners, establishing an organizational culture? Are not the creations of such connections and relationships forms of ‘artfulness’?
Can nature act as a ‘device’ for the imaginal? For the creative imagination? Consider the artfulness of nature and the natural world. Nature, landscapes, plants and animals move us and inform how we ‘see’ the world. For example, David Attenborough’s Planet Earth television series. https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/planet-earth
Or, writers such as Robert Macfarlane and Barry Lopez.
What is the role of education and training in relation to the imaginal? Imaginal education is about changing / enabling or facilitating people’s images of themselves and the world—not just giving them facts and information (Dirkx, 2001, 68 – 70).
“The imaginal method seeks a deeper understanding of the emotional, affective, and spiritual dimensions that are often associated with profoundly meaningful experiences in adult learning. Journal writing, literature, poetry, art, movies, story-telling, dance, and ritual are specific methods that can be used…” (Dirkx, 2001, 70).
What are the ethical implications in all this? The ways in which I ‘see’ the world and by which I act in the world are products of my imagination as are the ways in which I choose to relate to the world and to act.
Some further related thoughts by other writers
“The Germans do not think it in keeping with the divine majesty to confine gods within walls or to portray them in the likeness of any human countenance. Their holy places are woods and groves, and they apply the names of deities to that hidden presence which is seen only by the eye of reverence.”
Tacitus (56 – 120 CE), Germania, written ~98 CE.
“We learned … through [improvising our parts in] the play,” I said. “We learned through the parts we were given. It is not something easy to explain. I am new to playing but it has seemed to me like dreaming. The player is himself [sic] and another. When he looks at the others in the play, he knows he is part of their dreaming just as they are part of his. From this came thoughts and words that outside the play he would not readily admit to his mind.”
Barry Unsworth, Morality play
on the edge of a wood
a moment’s hesitation
how will you conduct yourself
in the company of trees
Thomas A. Clark, Of words and water
References
Clark, T.A. (2008). Of woods and water. Pittenweem, Scotland: Moschatel.
Corbin, H. (1998). The voyage and the messenger. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 117 – 134.
Dirkx, J.M. (2001). The power of feelings: Emotion, imagination, and the construction of meaning in adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 89, 63 – 72.
Leloup, J.-Y. (2002). The gospel of Mary Magdalene. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.
Lopez, B. (1986). Arctic dreams. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 199 – 200.
Macfarlane, R. (2012). The old ways. London: Penguin.
Macfarlane, R. (2015). Landmarks. London: Penguin.
McLaren, K. (November 2010). Imaginary or imaginal? https://karlamclaren.com/imaginary-or-imaginal/
Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Tacitus, C. (2018). Germania. Franklin Classics.
Unsworth, B. (1995). Morality play. Kindle. Retrieved from Amazon.ca
which is only seen by the
eye of reverence
Tacitus (56 – 120 CE), Germania
First, the etymology of the words image, imagine, imagination, imaginative, imaginary, and imaginal. Then, a more detailed consideration of the word imaginal.
These six words have their origins in the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root aim- (to copy), in Latin imitari (to copy, to imitate), and in Latin imaginem (copy, imitation, likeness; phantom, ghost, apparition; idea, appearance).
When the noun image first appeared in English around 1200, it meant a piece of statuary or an artificial representation that looks like a person or thing.
The meaning of image as reflection in a mirror is from the early 14th century. The sense of a mental image in the mind is from the late 14th century.
The use of image referring to a public impression is from 1908. However, image did not become widely used in this sense until the 1950s, particularly the use of the term in the jargon of advertising and public relations.
The verb ‘to imagine’, from the mid-14th century meaning to form a mental image of something which is not present, came to English from Old French imaginer (to sculpt, carve, paint; decorate, embellish) and Latin imaginari (to form a mental picture). The use of imagine meaning to assume or suppose is from the late 14th century; for example, “So I would imagine that they would not have been at home at the time.”
The noun imagination meaning the faculty of the mind to form and manipulate images is from the mid-14th century.
The adjective imaginative used to describe someone given to imagining is from the late 14th century. Imaginative, describing something resulting from imagination, is from 1829.
The adjective imaginary, from the late 14th century, meaning something existing only within the imagination (for example, fantasy, illusion, hallucination), but not in a person’s external reality.
The adjective imaginal has various applications. The word imaginal, from 1638, describes the images and imagery—products of the imagination. Such imaginal products or devices, like similes and metaphors, are non-rational ways to comprehend the world and people. From 1877, the imaginal is also an idealized mental image of another person or self (1877).
The imaginal can be considered as an ‘artful’ way of responding to the world (and to the artfulness of the world). The world can evoke imaginal responses. The term ‘imaginal realm’ is used to describe the places from which and by which the creative imagination works. For example, “Movies, plays, poems, artworks, and songs depend upon our ability to interact with images and to feel alongside, or for, or against the images and characters we encounter. Our brains love to imagine things. It’s actually how our brains work” (McLaren, 2010).
In brief, the Imaginal is that which is created by the processes and ‘devices’ of the imagination as it engages with what the senses present to the mind.
[Note: In entomology (not to be confused with etymology!), the adjective imaginal refers to the noun imago—the final or adult stage of an insect (1797). There must be a metaphor in there somewhere when thinking of the imaginal and imagination!]
Some further thoughts on the imaginal
Sometimes we perceive or, perhaps more dramatically, encounter within our lives an ‘otherness’ or a ‘not-me-ness’, something that cannot be explained. For example, “I had this experience—what will I call it? How will I describe it to others?” We are invited or even compelled to chose how we will relate to this. How will we express to others (or to self) that which has happened?
Being in such an ‘imaginal realm’ can seem like being in an ‘other world’ in the midst of ‘this world’. We find ourselves in a liminal or ‘thin’ space between these two worlds (or realities). Such imaginal moments often evoke a sense of awe and wonder, even grace. Such moments can evoke a dramatic, “Aha!” At other times, perhaps, may they feel like a simple tap on the shoulder.
In any case, we are called to use our creative imagination in order to find ways to express or represent this experience and our relationship to this experience of ‘otherness’.
Such an otherness is neither a purely sensory empirical experience nor a purely intellectual understanding. Experiencing the reality of such otherness is both objective and subjective. These two elements of knowing are interdependent (Leloup, 2002, 16):
“Between [empirical observation and intellectual understanding] lies a vast intermediate realm of image and representation that is just as ontologically real as the worlds of sense and intellect. But this requires a faculty of perception that is peculiar to it alone … it is none other than the power of the creative imagination [which Henry Corbin so eloquently names as the imaginal]” (Leloup, 2002, 14). [Italics mine].
Such a realm is just as ‘real’ as a sensory or intellectual experience.
Some questions
Can developing and deepening connections with other people be considered in terms of ‘artfulness’? Consider a deep and enduring friendship, a sense of team spirit, a creating a positive learning environment with a group of learners, establishing an organizational culture? Are not the creations of such connections and relationships forms of ‘artfulness’?
Can nature act as a ‘device’ for the imaginal? For the creative imagination? Consider the artfulness of nature and the natural world. Nature, landscapes, plants and animals move us and inform how we ‘see’ the world. For example, David Attenborough’s Planet Earth television series. https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/planet-earth
Or, writers such as Robert Macfarlane and Barry Lopez.
What is the role of education and training in relation to the imaginal? Imaginal education is about changing / enabling or facilitating people’s images of themselves and the world—not just giving them facts and information (Dirkx, 2001, 68 – 70).
“The imaginal method seeks a deeper understanding of the emotional, affective, and spiritual dimensions that are often associated with profoundly meaningful experiences in adult learning. Journal writing, literature, poetry, art, movies, story-telling, dance, and ritual are specific methods that can be used…” (Dirkx, 2001, 70).
What are the ethical implications in all this? The ways in which I ‘see’ the world and by which I act in the world are products of my imagination as are the ways in which I choose to relate to the world and to act.
Some further related thoughts by other writers
“The Germans do not think it in keeping with the divine majesty to confine gods within walls or to portray them in the likeness of any human countenance. Their holy places are woods and groves, and they apply the names of deities to that hidden presence which is seen only by the eye of reverence.”
Tacitus (56 – 120 CE), Germania, written ~98 CE.
“We learned … through [improvising our parts in] the play,” I said. “We learned through the parts we were given. It is not something easy to explain. I am new to playing but it has seemed to me like dreaming. The player is himself [sic] and another. When he looks at the others in the play, he knows he is part of their dreaming just as they are part of his. From this came thoughts and words that outside the play he would not readily admit to his mind.”
Barry Unsworth, Morality play
on the edge of a wood
a moment’s hesitation
how will you conduct yourself
in the company of trees
Thomas A. Clark, Of words and water
References
Clark, T.A. (2008). Of woods and water. Pittenweem, Scotland: Moschatel.
Corbin, H. (1998). The voyage and the messenger. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 117 – 134.
Dirkx, J.M. (2001). The power of feelings: Emotion, imagination, and the construction of meaning in adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 89, 63 – 72.
Leloup, J.-Y. (2002). The gospel of Mary Magdalene. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions.
Lopez, B. (1986). Arctic dreams. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 199 – 200.
Macfarlane, R. (2012). The old ways. London: Penguin.
Macfarlane, R. (2015). Landmarks. London: Penguin.
McLaren, K. (November 2010). Imaginary or imaginal? https://karlamclaren.com/imaginary-or-imaginal/
Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
Tacitus, C. (2018). Germania. Franklin Classics.
Unsworth, B. (1995). Morality play. Kindle. Retrieved from Amazon.ca
January 17, 2025
Drone
The noun drone came to English almost unchanged from Old English dran and Proto-Germanic dran. A drone is a male honeybee whose sole function is to mate with the queen bee. Unlike a female worker bee, a drone has no stinger. For thousands of years, male bees have always been called drones.
The use of the word drone to refer to an idler or lazy worker is from the 1520s. Drone, meaning a pilotless aircraft directed by remote control, is from 1946.
Drone, meaning a deep continuous humming sound is from around 1500. The drone, or bass pipe of a bagpipe, is from the 1590s.
The verb ‘to drone’, meaning to roar or to bellow, came to English in the mid-14th century as drounen. By around 1500, to drone meant to give forth a monotonous and unvaried tone, hum, or buzz. Drone, meaning to speak in a dull, monotonous tone, is from the 1610s. In modern times, drone is often used to describe the characteristic sound of airplane engines.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The use of the word drone to refer to an idler or lazy worker is from the 1520s. Drone, meaning a pilotless aircraft directed by remote control, is from 1946.
Drone, meaning a deep continuous humming sound is from around 1500. The drone, or bass pipe of a bagpipe, is from the 1590s.
The verb ‘to drone’, meaning to roar or to bellow, came to English in the mid-14th century as drounen. By around 1500, to drone meant to give forth a monotonous and unvaried tone, hum, or buzz. Drone, meaning to speak in a dull, monotonous tone, is from the 1610s. In modern times, drone is often used to describe the characteristic sound of airplane engines.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
January 13, 2025
Elite
The word elite has its origins in words meaning to choose and choice.
The word elite, from 1823, meaning a choice or a selected body or the best part, is from French élite (selection, choice) and Old French eslite (to pick out, to choose). These words have their origin in Latin eligere (to pick out, to select, to choose). Eligere is also the origin of the word election.
In the late 14th century, the word elite meant a ‘chosen person’; however, this meaning disappeared in the mid-15th century.
Elite as an adjective is from 1852. Elite as a typeface is from 1920.
To be elite is not automatic. To be elite means to be chosen. For example, an elite sports player is someone selected because of their skills to be part of a top-ranked team; e.g., an all-star team. Some military units are considered elite because of their special skills. Someone who is elite is the cream of the crop, so to speak.
The word elite is not to be confused with the somewhat derogatory word elitist.
The adjective elitist, from 1950, means advocating or preferring rule or social domination by an elite element in a system or society. Elitist as a noun is from 1961.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
The word elite, from 1823, meaning a choice or a selected body or the best part, is from French élite (selection, choice) and Old French eslite (to pick out, to choose). These words have their origin in Latin eligere (to pick out, to select, to choose). Eligere is also the origin of the word election.
In the late 14th century, the word elite meant a ‘chosen person’; however, this meaning disappeared in the mid-15th century.
Elite as an adjective is from 1852. Elite as a typeface is from 1920.
To be elite is not automatic. To be elite means to be chosen. For example, an elite sports player is someone selected because of their skills to be part of a top-ranked team; e.g., an all-star team. Some military units are considered elite because of their special skills. Someone who is elite is the cream of the crop, so to speak.
The word elite is not to be confused with the somewhat derogatory word elitist.
The adjective elitist, from 1950, means advocating or preferring rule or social domination by an elite element in a system or society. Elitist as a noun is from 1961.
Reference: Online Etymological Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/
