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 bridegroom’s luggage became jahez, the things given to him by his bride’s 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 camel’s 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