Word Roots Trivia

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Telephone is derived from two Greek words, tele + phone, meaning far off voice or sound.(Tele, far off + phone, voice or sound).

The word for "name" in Japanese is "na-ma-e," in Mongolian "nameg."

"Polish" is the only word in the English language that when capitalized is changed from a noun or a verb to a nationality.

Facetious and abstemious contain all the vowels in the correct order, as does arsenious, meaning "containing arsenic."

Sheriff came from Shire Reeve. During early years of feudal rule in England, each shire had a reeve who was the law for that shire. When the term was brought to the United States it was shortened to Sheriff.

The ball on top of a flagpole is called the truck.

The difference between a "millennium" and a "chiliad"? None. Both words mean "a period of one thousand years", the former from Latin, the later from Greek.

The stress in Hungarian words always falls on the first syllable.

The word for "dog" in the Australian aboriginal language Mbabaran happens to be "dog."

The side of a hammer is a cheek.

The initials for morning and evening are based on latin words—ante meridiem and post meridiem. "Ante," of course means "before" and "post" means "after." "Meridiem" means "noon."

Italy: 'chiocciolina' - which, in Italian, means 'little snail' France: 'petit escargot' - also 'little snail' Germany: 'klammeraffe' - which means 'spider monkey'. Dutch: 'api' - a shortened version of 'apestaart' or 'monkey's tail'. Finland: 'miau' or 'cat's tail'. Norway: 'kanel-bolle', a spiral shaped cinnamon cake Israel: 'shtrudel' - following the pastry concept Denmark: 'snabel', an 'A' with a trunk. Spain: 'arroba'. the Spanish symbol for a unit of weight of about 25 pounds.

A "pogonip" is a heavy winter fog containing ice crystals.

The little bits of paper left over when holes are punched in data cards or tape are called Chad.

The loop on a belt that holds the loose end is called a "keeper".

Las Vegas means "the meadows" in Spanish. Ironically, the city in the desert was once abundant in water and vegetation.

The word "mullet" describes a hairstyle worn, particularly in the southern USA, which is characterized by short hair on the top and sides, with very long hair in the back.

"Quisling" is the only word in the English language to start with "quis."

The French equivalent of "Pumpkin" (our pet name) is calling them "Chou-Chou" which is little cabbage.

In ancient Egypt, the apricot was called the "egg of the sun."