Interesting 'A' Words Trivia Quiz

Answer: Acme

Wile E. Coyote always purchased his products from Acme, and why not, it implies that the material that this company produces is the most excellent available. Alas, however, Mr. Coyote never seemed an adept at employing his Acme acquisitions accurately. Apparently, Sears once had a product line called 'Acme', from whence it was derived by Warner Brothers.

The word comes from the Greek for 'the top' or 'perfection', the name being shared by a certain nymph.

Answer: The fear of heights

Indeed, all the fears listed in this question begin with the letter 'A'. A fear of wild animals is agrizoophobia, while those who fear open spaces are said to have agoraphobia. The fear of pain is agliophobia (a perfectly rational fear, in my view) and, finally, acrophobia is the fear of heights (literally translating as 'summit fear'.)

Answer: Aluminum

Whether you spell it 'aluminum' (as people in the U.S. typically do) or 'aluminium' (as people in Britain are wont to do) you may feel safe in knowing that your spelling is correct. The problem really lies with the discoverer of the chemical element, Sir Humphry Davy, who couldn't seem to make up his mind on one proper spelling. Davy at first named it 'alumium', but then later changed his mind and called it 'aluminum', finally settling on 'aluminium' some years afterward.

The American Chemical Society officially adopted the 'aluminum' spelling in 1925, while The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) chose to standardize the spelling as 'aluminium' in 1990.

The controversy continues!

Answer: Yes

Indeed, 'adieu' comes from the Old French 'a' (to) and 'Dieu' (God), while 'adios' is from the Spanish 'a' (to) and 'Dios' (God). The idea, I suppose, is that you are being commended to God as you depart, in case the wellwisher and yourself never see each other again.

Answer: The plastic hoops around the ends of shoelaces

Yes, the world's most useless word is actually quite an important item for those of us who wear shoes. The word 'aglet' comes from the French 'aiguillette', which literally means 'small needle'.

Answer: Amethyst

The Greeks (or at least, the superstitious ones) believed that when one was in possession of an amethyst, s/he had powers that counterbalanced the intoxicating effects of alcohol. This is why the word 'amethyst' (amethustos) literally means 'not drunken' in Greek. I wonder how such a superstition could continue when dozens of people holding amethysts would obviously become inebriated while participating in Dionysiac festivals?

Answer: Yogurt

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a bacterium added to milk to create yogurt cultures. The term 'acidophilus' literally means 'acid loving' in Latin, suggesting these, our little bacterial friends, tend to gravitate towards acidic substances such as lactose.

Answer: No

The word 'akimbo' does seem somewhat exotic, but in reality it comes from the Middle English 'in kenebowe' [Etymology: in + kenebowe (kene-, of unknown meaning + bowe, bow, bend).] Akimbo is a favorite word of poets, though I dare one to find a word that rhymes with it.

Answer: Amok

When someone says that you are 'running amok', they are referring to your uncontrollable behavior, not your actual 'running' style. The word 'amok' comes to English via Portuguese. It seems that early Portuguese sailors encountered some pretty unsavory types in their exploration of the East Indies, and stories circulated about some who had become victim to deadly rampages by certain natives in that area of the world. Thus the Portuguese 'amouco' was developed from the Malay word 'amoq'.

The veracity of these claims of natives 'running amok', however, is open to question...you know how things work through the old grapevine.

Answer: Goose

The Latin word for a goose is 'anserinus', so the correct answer (bad pun!) is 'anserine'. An alternative to the word 'anserine' is the word 'anserous', both adjectives meaning 'gooselike'.

I hope you enjoyed this quiz. If you did, please feel free to have a go at some of my many other quizzes at Funtrivia, thank you.