To What End? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Legend

Leg + End

The term legend comes from Middle English meaning a written account of a saint's life. It comes from the Medieval Latin 'legenda' meaning 'lesson to be read'.

It has now come to mean any fictitious story usually connected to a real person or place such as the Arthurian legends based around King Arthur.

The word also applies to a table found on a map or chart which shows an explanation of the symbols used.

Answer: Impend

Imp + End

Impend comes from the Latin 'impendçre' meaning to hang over or threaten.

The word means anything which is about to happen but we tend to associate it with a premonition of something bad as in 'impending doom'. The term is often used as a figure of speech but it actually has real medical and psychological significance.

While many psychological disorders have long had it as a symptom, it is just being recognised as a true symptom of certain life-threatening medical conditions, including prior to heart attacks, anaphylactic shock and poisoning.

Answer: Tendril

Tea (T) + End + Drill

A tendril is also a botany term meaning a specialised stem or leaf, shaped like a thread, which is used by climbing plants for support by attaching themselves to another structure - peas and grapes are good examples.

It is also used for parasitic plants that twine themselves around the host plant.

The word comes from the Middle French 'tendron' meaning a shoot or sprout.

Answer: Friend

Fry + End

A friend also refers to a specific device used in mountaineering that is wedged into a crack to provide an anchor point.

It is also used by The Quakers, a religious group originally called the 'Religious Society of Friends', who still call their members Friends.

And the dictionary now includes the more recent definition of adding contacts to Facebook, using 'friend' as a verb.

Answer: Endear

End + Ear

The original, now obsolete, meaning of the word is to 'enhance the value of'. Its modern use as a verb to make someone more dear or esteemed is from the 1640s.

Answer: Portend

Port + End

Where portend is any foreshadowing of what is about to happen, especially something momentous, it tends to be used more as a dark warning or bad omen of things to come.

It has been found in use since the 15th century. It comes from the Latin 'por' meaning forward, and 'tendere' meaning 'to stretch' so the word 'portendere' literally means 'stretching forward to predict'.

We also get the words tendon, tension and extend from this word stem.

Answer: Agenda

Age + End + A

The term agenda was originally a theological term referring to the order of services within the Church. Its use can be traced to 390 AD when it was mentioned in the Second Synod of Carthage.

Although it was still used sparingly into the seventeenth century by the Roman Catholic Church, its use was virtually stopped after the Reformation. The Lutheran Church continues to use this term for its religious services.

The first usage of the term in reference to business matters can be found in 1882.

Answer: Upend

Up + End

Upend originally meant to physically move something so that the part that was touching the ground is no longer touching it. It then grew to also be used metaphorically, meaning to totally change or destroy something.

Swans and dabbling ducks are also said to feed by upending. This refers to their feeding method of putting their heads underwater, which causes their tail to be raised upwards.

Answer: Pendant

Pea (P) + End + Ant

Although pendant ornaments can be hung from earrings or bracelets they are more commonly associated with necklaces. They are the oldest recorded type of jewellery - found as far back as the ancient Egyptians.

Apart from pure ornamentation there are four common types; amulets that protect the wearer, talismen that give special powers to the wearer, lockets that hold memories dear to the heart and medallions which are often given as awards or for religious blessings.

Answer: Godsend

Gods + End

The first use of Godsend appears in the 13th century and is derived from the Middle English 'Godes sonde' meaning "God's messenger; what God sends, gift from God, happening caused by God," and was redefined to mean 'happy chance' in the 19th century.

There is a rather macabre reference in 1814 where it was used to mean 'a shipwreck' by people who lived in the coastal areas that would benefit from it.