Spanish mozo and Moses
Spanish mozo means "boy", "young man", and in some Latin American countries, "waiter". Its etymology is uncertain. Some connect it to muchacho (“boy”). But none is convincing.
Well, I can propose one that is equally unconvincing, or rather, with probably about the same degree of convincing power. I propose its connection to Moses, the biblical figure. Wiktionary states that the word Moses is "[f]rom Latin Mōsēs, Mōȳsēs, from Ancient Greek Μωϋσῆς (Mōüsês), from Biblical Hebrew מֹשֶׁה (mōše). Further etymology is unclear, but it may have come from Ancient Egyptian." This Egyptian origin is further explained by Wikipedia on Moses:
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An Egyptian root msy ('child of') has been considered as a possible etymology, arguably an abbreviation of a theophoric name, as for example in Egyptian names like Thutmoses ('child of Thoth') and Ramesses ('child of Ra'),[18] with the god's name omitted.
--- end quote ---
where reference [18] points to Christopher B. Hays Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East , which on p.116, after dismissing the folk etymology, reads, "'Moses' is derived from the common element in names such as Thutmosis (‘Thoth created him’)".
Semantically, a child is not far from a boy (by the way, moza means "girl"). In terms of pronunciation, the Egyptian word or word suffix is remarkably close to English Moses or Spanish Moisés.
But we don't have solid historical linguistic evidence to prove this connection. To be on the safe side, in my revised edition of Learning Spanish Words, I write "For lack of definitive proof, we can at least take Moses as a mnemonic for mozo and imagine him as a young boy or young man."
Well, I can propose one that is equally unconvincing, or rather, with probably about the same degree of convincing power. I propose its connection to Moses, the biblical figure. Wiktionary states that the word Moses is "[f]rom Latin Mōsēs, Mōȳsēs, from Ancient Greek Μωϋσῆς (Mōüsês), from Biblical Hebrew מֹשֶׁה (mōše). Further etymology is unclear, but it may have come from Ancient Egyptian." This Egyptian origin is further explained by Wikipedia on Moses:
--- begin quote ---
An Egyptian root msy ('child of') has been considered as a possible etymology, arguably an abbreviation of a theophoric name, as for example in Egyptian names like Thutmoses ('child of Thoth') and Ramesses ('child of Ra'),[18] with the god's name omitted.
--- end quote ---
where reference [18] points to Christopher B. Hays Hidden Riches: A Sourcebook for the Comparative Study of the Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East , which on p.116, after dismissing the folk etymology, reads, "'Moses' is derived from the common element in names such as Thutmosis (‘Thoth created him’)".
Semantically, a child is not far from a boy (by the way, moza means "girl"). In terms of pronunciation, the Egyptian word or word suffix is remarkably close to English Moses or Spanish Moisés.
But we don't have solid historical linguistic evidence to prove this connection. To be on the safe side, in my revised edition of Learning Spanish Words, I write "For lack of definitive proof, we can at least take Moses as a mnemonic for mozo and imagine him as a young boy or young man."
Published on September 21, 2020 21:17
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Learning Spanish, French, and Italian Words Through Etymology and Mnemonics
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(2) Miscellaneous notes about the unpublished books, Learning French / Italian Words Th (1) Small corrections and updates to the published book, "Learning Spanish Words Through Etymology and Mnemonics"
(2) Miscellaneous notes about the unpublished books, Learning French / Italian Words Through Etymology and Mnemonics
(3) Other language related notes or ideas ...more
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