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Multiple
births
MANY words can sometimes come from
the same root. File, filament, filaria and filigree
all come from the French fil, meaning
string or thread. Fil, comes from the Latin filum,
again a thread. In older days (even today in some homes),
a file is referred to a string on which papers were
strung or a collection of papers filed in this manner.
Originally, the military expression (as in single file)
means a row of people lined up one after another, just
like the papers strung on the old-fashioned file wire.
Since filament is a very slender thread or fibre, filaria
is a threadlike parasitic worm and filigree is delicate,
thread-thin lacework, the connection is clear. The metal
file, a steel tool with a rough grinding surface, comes
from the German feile meaning to
scratch.
The Greek aoidein (singing)
has given birth to melody, parody and ode. Melody,
derived from the Greek melos, literally means
to sing a song. So, melos (song) and aoidein,
(to sing) is now used for any pleasing sounds. Parody,
which means to sing alongside has been
derived from the Greek para (beside) and
aoidein. An ode is a poem written to be
sung.
The Latin fidelis
(faithful, trustworthy) is the source of fidelity,
fiduciary, hi-fi, affidavit, confide and infidel.
Fidelity, faithfulness to duty; fiduciary, a person who
holds something in trust for another; hi-fi, any
electronic equipment having high-faithfulness of sound
reproduction; affidavit, an oath of trust; confide,
entrust someone with a secret; and an infidel, one who is
unfaithful, not a believer.
Majesty, major, mayor,
majority, majordomo and Majorca all come from the Latin
root magnus. Major, meaning great chief, gave
birth to the French majeste, which again means
great. The first use of majesty was in the 14th century
when God was His majesty, the God Almighty. Later
on, it came to be applied to mortal kings as a
sycophantic gesture. Later still, majeste gave
birth to major (rank of an army officer, senior to
captain), mayor (chief administrative official), majority
vote (cast by a greater part of the electorate), majordom
(chief steward) and the island of Majorca (largest or
greatest of the Balearic islands).
Tap-root
Jahaz came to
Hindi from the Arbian jeem he ze, meaning to
collect. Jahaz become a vehicle for collecting
luggage. By and by, jahaz come to be applied to
the belongings of a traveller, a bridegrooms
luggage became jahez, the things given to him by
his brides parents. Jahez soon found a Hindi
equivalent dahej, a Sanskrit dayaj and a
Punjabi daaj. The other connotation, jahez
as the travellers luggage as applied to the Arabian
camel rider found another meaning in jahaz, the
wooden seat on the camels back. When the Arabians
took to sea travel, paani ka jahaj or ship was
just a short lexical distance to cover. With air travel, havai
jahaz was just a step away.
This
feature was published on April 24, 1999
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