Stalwart is often written, in early English, ‘stal-ward.’ It is from the Anglo-Saxon ‘stal-weorth,’ i.e. worth stealing, or taking. The word is now used in the sense of strong-limbed, noble, manly in appearance.
Stationer. The word ‘statio’ meant, in the Middle Ages, ‘a stall,’ or ‘shop,’ and was at last used for a shop where books and paper were sold. Hence came ‘stationarius,’ one who held a station, or who dealt in books, paper, &c.
Tawdry. According to the legend, St. Etheldreda (Saint Audrey) is said to have died of a quinsy, which she considered sent her as a judgment for her vanity concerning necklaces in her youth. Hence ‘tawdry’ has been explained as the necklace of St. Audrey. The word now qualifies any silly, frivolous ornamentation; fine and showy, but without taste or elegance.
Thing. There is a close connection between the noun ‘thing’ and the verb ‘to think.’ In fact, the one is derived from the other. For what is a thing? It is whatever causes us to think. There is the same connection between the Latin noun ‘res’ and the verb ‘reor.’ We may also observe that the Italian ‘cosa’ and the French ‘chose’ are formed by the same analogy. They both mean ‘cause,’ i. e. cause of ideas or thoughts.
Tragedy. It was a custom with the Greek peasants, when they gathered in the vintage, to recite or sing an ode in honour of Bacchus, their tutelary god of wine; and on this solemn occasion, by way of propitiating that divinity, they sacrificed to him a he-goat. The Greek for a ‘he-goat’ is τράγος; and a song (or ode) is, in that language, ᾠδὴ (odē). Putting together τράγος and ᾠδὴ we get ‘tragœdia’ (tragedy); literally, ‘the song of the goat,’ or, the song sung when the goat was sacrificed to Bacchus. Various additions were afterwards made, such as dialogue, chorus, &c., till at length the drama appeared in its present form.
Wiseacre. This word has, really, no connection whatever with ‘acre.’ The two roots, ‘wise’ and ‘acre,’ are clearly incompatible. How then, did they come together? The word is, both in spelling and pronunciation, a corruption of the German ‘weissager,’ a ‘wise-sayer,’ or sayer of wise maxims, or precepts.
Wont. The Anglo-Saxon ‘wunian’ meant to dwell, which naturally involved the idea of being accustomed to; for we must become accustomed to the dwelling in which we live. ‘He was wont to say,’ means he was in the habit of saying. Compare the German ‘wohnen’ and ‘Wohnung.’
Zero. The name given to the arithmetical ‘0’ is said to be a contraction of the Italian ‘zephiro,’ a zephyr; i.e. a mere nothing; having no more substance than a breeze, or breath of air. It is also sometimes called a ‘cipher,’ from the Arabic ‘cifr,’ empty.
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