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Word Origins

Created by flem-ish

Fun Trivia : Quizzes : Etymology
Word Origins game quiz
"Etymology is like linguistic archeology. You dig into words and you discover earlier forms, meanings, etc. Have a try with these - occasionally surprising - word origins."

15 Points Per Correct Answer - No time limit  



1. Though the English word stomach derives from a Greek word stoma, that Greek word stoma itself does not mean stomach but:______________
    mouth
    belly
    bile
    intestine


2. Carillons got their names from a vulgar Latin word for a set of bells, :"quadrinio", or in a more French form: "quadrillon". How many bells was that originally?
    44
    14
    4
    40


3. The French word gigue refers to a dance for which you need agile legs.
A leg of mutton is un gigot in that same language. Which word for a professional seducer of ladies is also related to the idea of a "dancer with agile legs"?
    Answer: (Six letters.)


4. How did corned beef get its name?
    It was usually produced in Corning Ware containers
    It was considered a rather corny type of food.
    It had been corned i.e. preserved in grains of salt.
    It' s originally from French boeuf cornu.


5. In more heroic times the man who walked in front of the army was the general himself, the army- ruler or "heri-wald". Later the man who walked in front of ther army was just the messenger, the announcer of news or the ________________
    Answer: (Popular as a title for newspapers.The Daily __________; six letters.)


6. "Hurrah" was a shout that originated with the Cossacks in Russia. It meant:
    Attack!
    Long Live the Commander!
    Long Live the Czar!
    Happy Birthday!


7. Which of these words refers to forecasting events on the basis of dreams?
    Chiromancy
    Necromancy
    Oniromancy
    Nigromancy


8. A marinade was originally a very simple affair. It meant that you soaked food in ____________________
    olive oil and rosemary
    seaweed
    coarse seasalt
    salty seawater


9. Which of these words refers to a Portuguese type of song in which the sad fate of human beings is sung about in a plaintive, almost bluesy style?
    Fandango
    Saudade
    Caldeirade
    Fado


10. Which of these is the correct origin of the word migraine ?
    from Latin migrans which refers to a pain that travels around
    megacranium the feeling that your head is getting too big
    Greek hemicrania which means pain in one half of the skull
    Old English mickle( big) + Latin cranium feeling that your head is swollen


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Compiled Jun 28 12