Category: English

Adventures in Etymology – Hat

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Chapeaux

Today we are uncovering the origins of the word hat.

A hat [hæt / hat] is:

  • a covering for the head, often in the approximate form of a cone, dome or cylinder closed at its top end, and sometimes having a brim and other decoration
  • a particular role or capacity that a person might fill.

It comes from the Middle English hat [hat] (hat, cap, helmet), from the Old English hæt(t) (hat, head-covering), from the Proto-Germanic *hattuz [ˈxɑt.tuz] (hat), from the Proto-Indo-European *kadʰnú-, from *kadʰ- (to guard, cover, protect, care for) [source].

Words from the same root include: hood, heed in English, hat (hat) in Danish, hatta (hat) and hätta (bonnet, hood) in Swedish, hattu (hat, cap) in Finnish, hoed (hat, lid) in Dutch, Hut (hat, cap, protection, keeping) in German, and cadw (to keep, guard, defend, save) in Welsh [source].

There are quite a few idioms and sayings related to hats, including:

  • at the drop of a hat = (to do sth) without any hesitation, instantly. For example, I can talk about language and linguistics at the drop of a hat.
  • to eat one’s hat = a humorous action that one will allegedly take place if something very unlikely happens. For example, if a million people listen to this podcast, I’ll eat my hat.
  • old hat = something very common or out of date.
  • to pass the hat = to ask for money, solicit donations or contributions
  • to keep sth under one’s hat = to keep sth secret

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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Celtic Pathways – Horses

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking at words for horses and related beasts.

Horse in a field / Capall i bpáirc

One Proto-Celtic word for horse was *kaballos, which possibly comes from an Asiatic source, and may ultimately come from the Proto-Indo-European *kebʰ- (worn-out horse, nag) [source].

Descendants in the Celtic languages include:

  • *caballos = horse in Gaulish
  • capall [ˈkapˠəl̪ˠ] = horse, mare in Irish
  • capall [kahbəl̪ˠ] = mare, colt, horse, small horse in Scottish Gaulish
  • cabbyl = horse in Manx
  • ceffyl [ˈkɛfɨ̞l / ˈkɛfɪl] = horse, nag in Welsh
  • cevil, kevil = horse in Middle Cornish, and kevelek (woodcock) in Revived Cornish
  • cefel = horse in Old Breton, and kefeleg (woodcock) in modern Breton

The Gaulish word *caballos was borrowed into Latin as caballus. In Classical Latin it was only used in poetry, while equus was the usual word for horse. In Vulgar Latin and Late Latin caballus was more commonly used, and mean a horse, nag, pack-horse, jade or hack.

Words for horse in various other languages come from the same Latin root, including cavallo in Italian, caballo in Spanish, cavalo in Portuguese and cheval in French [source]. The English words cavalry, chivalry and cavalier also come from the same Latin roots [source].

Another Proto-Celtic word for horse was *ekʷos, which comes from the Proto-Indo-European *h₁éḱwos (stallion, horse) [source].

Descendants in the Celtic languages include:

  • epos = horse in Gaulish
  • each [ax] = horse (archaic) Irish
  • each [ɛx] = horse in Scottish Gaulish
  • eagh = steed, riding horse in Manx
  • ebol [ˈɛbɔl / ˈeːbɔl] = colt, foal, sucker in Welsh
  • ebel = horse in Cornish
  • ebeul [ˈe.bøl] = foal in Breton

The English words equine, equestrian come from the same PIE root, via Latin [source], as do words beginning with hippo-, such as hippopotamus, hippodrome and hippomancy (divination by the interpretation of the appearance and behaviour of horses) the via Ancient Greek [source].

Another Proto-Celtic word for horse was *markos, which possibly comes from the Proto-Indo-European *márkos (horse) [source].

Descendants in the Celtic languages include:

  • marc [mˠaɾˠk] = horse (literary, archaic) Irish
  • marc [marxk] = charger, warhorse (literary) in Scottish Gaulish
  • mark = horse in Manx
  • march [marχ] = horse, stallion, war-horse, steed in Welsh
  • margh [ˈmaɾx] = horse in Cornish
  • marc’h [ˈmaʁχ] = horse, easel in Breton

The English words mare and marshal possibly come from the same roots [source].

More details about these words on Celtiadur, a blog where I explore connections between Celtic languages in more depth. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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Omniglot News (28/08/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

We have some new adapted and constructed scripts this week:

Tiukigul (튜키글), a way to write Turkish with the Korean Hangul script created by Adiljan Barat.

Sample text in Tiukigul

Göktürkçe, an alternative way to write modern Turkish with the Old Turkish (Göktürk) alphabet devised by Gökbey Uluç.

Sample text in Göktürkçe

Scorapice Shorthand, a way write English with Russian shorthand devised by Anatole Fiodorov.

Sample text in Scorapice

Ka Hakalama Hou, an alternative way to write Hawaiian created by Seth Van Middlesworth.

Sample text in the Ka Hakalama Hou

There are new language pages about:

  • Mampruli (Ŋmampulli), a Gur language spoken in northern Ghana.
  • Frafra (ninkãrɛ / gʋrnɛ / fãrfãre), a Gur language spoken in northern Ghan and southern Burkina Faso.
  • Jian’ou (建甌事 / Gṳ̿ing-é-dī), a variety of Northern Min spoken in Jian’ou city in northern Fujian province in the southeast of China.

New phrases page: Oromo (Afaan Oromoo), a Cushitic language spoken in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Egypt.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • Tai Nuea (ᥖᥭᥰ ᥖᥬᥲ ᥑᥨᥒᥰ), a Southwestern Tai language spoken mainly in Yunnan province in the southwest of China. /li>
  • Mossi (Mòoré), a Gur language spoken in Burkina-Faso, Mali and Togo.
  • Mampruli (Ŋmampulli)

There a new version of the Tower of Babel story in Mampruli.

There’s a new article about The Scottish Gaelic dialects of St Kilda.

There’s an Omniglot blog post about the expression Six Ways to Sunday, which means ‘in every possible way/direction’, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in northern Thailand.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was North Slavey (Sahtúotʼı̨nę Yatį́), a Northern Athabaskan language spoken in the District of Mackenzie in the Northwest Territories of Canada.

There are new Celtiadur posts are about words for Servants, Bareness and related things in Celtic languages.

There’s an episode of the Celtic Pathways podcast about words for Servant and related people.

In the Adventure in Etymology we unpeel the origins of the word library, and find out how it’s connected to such words as lobby and lodge.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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Adventures in Etymology – Library

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Shankland Reading Room, Bangor University
Shankland Reading Room, Bangor University. Photo by Richard Simcott

Today we are unpeeling the origins of the word library.

A library [ˈlaɪbɹi / ˈlaɪbɹəɹi] is:

  • a building, room, or organization that has a collection of books, documents, music, and sometimes things such as tools or artwork, for people to borrow, usually without payment.

It comes from the Middle English librarie [libˈraːriː(ə)] (library, reading room, bookshelf, bookcase, archive, collection (of texts)), from the Anglo-Norman librarie (library, collection of books), from the Old French librairie, from the Latin librārium (bookcase, library), from liber (book, inner bark of a tree) and -ārium (place for) [source].

The word liber comes from the PIE *lewbʰ- (to peel, cut off, harm), perhaps from *lew- (to cut off). The English words leaf, lobby and lodge possibly come from the same roots [source].

A Middle English word for library was boch(o)us, from the Old English bōchūs [ˈboːkˌhuːs] (library), from bōc (book) and hūs (house). The word bookhouse (a repository/store of books, library) exists in modern English, although is not in common usage [source].

Cognates of library in Romance languages, such as librarie in French and librería in Spanish, mean ‘bookshop / bookstore’. They used to mean library until about the 16th century, and were replaced by words derived from the the Latin bibliothēca (library) [source].

The word bibliotheca used to be used in English to mean a collection or catalogue of books, or a library. It was borrowed from the Latin bibliothēca (library), from the Ancient Greek βιβλιοθήκη (bibliothḗkē – bookcase, library, records office, ), from βιβλίον (biblíon – book) and‎ θήκη (thḗkē – box, chest) [source].

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

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Celtic Pathways – Servants

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking at words for servants and related people.

Tour Scotland March Horse Ploughing

The Proto-Celtic word *ambaxtos means servant and comes from *ambi- (around),‎ *ageti (to drive) and‎ *-os, from the Proto-Indo-European word *h₂m̥bʰi-h₂eǵ- (drive around) [source].

It became ambaxtos (vassal, high-ranking servant) in Gaulish, amaeth [ˈameɨ̯θ / ˈamei̯θ] (ploughman, husbandman, farmer, agriculture) in Welsh, ammeth (agriculture, farming) in Cornish, amhas (hireling, servant, mercenary, hooligan) in Irish, amhas [au.əs] (savage, wild person, madman) in Scottish Gaelic [source].

The English word amassador comes from the same root, via the Middle English ambassadore from the Anglo-Norman ambassadeur (ambassador), from the Old Italian ambassadore, from the Old Occitan ambaisador (ambassador), from ambaissa (service, mission, errand), from the Medieval Latin ambasiator (ambassador), from the Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌹 (andbahti – service, function), from the Proto-Germanic *ambahtaz [ˈɑm.bɑx.tɑz] (servant), from the Gaulish *ambaxtos [source].

The word embassy comes from the same Gaulish word, via a similarly convoluted etymology [source], as does ambacht [ˈɑmbɑxt] (craft, craftmanship, trade) in Dutch, ambátt [ˈam.pauht] (female slave, bondwoman, handmaid) in Icelandic, and ammatti [ˈɑmːɑt̪ːi] (profession, vocation, occupation) in Finnish [source].

Another Proto-Celtic word for servant is *wastos which possibly comes from the Proto-Indo-European word *upo-sth₂-o-s (standing beneath) [source].

Related words in Celtic languages include: *wassos (young man, squire) in Gaulish, gwas [ɡwaːs] (servant, lad, boy) in Welsh, gwas (chap, fellow, guy, servant) in Cornish, gwas (man, husband, servant, employee) in Breton, and foss (attendant, man-servant, servant) in Old Irish [source].

The English word vassal comes from the same Celtic roots, via the Old French vassal, the Medieval Latin vassallus (manservant, domestic, retainer), from the Latin vassus (servant) from the Gaulish *wassos [source].

More details about these words on Celtiadur, a blog where I explore connections between Celtic languages in more depth.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (21/08/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

We have several new adapted and constructed scripts this week:

Compact Morse Code, a way to write Morse Code in a condensed way devised by Zmitro Lapcionak.

Sample text in Compact Morse Code

Swedish Runes (ᛋᚡᛂᚿᛋᚴᛆ᛫ᚱᚢᚿᚮᚱ), a way to write Swedish with medieval runes devised by Sven Salvenson.

ᛂᚿ᛫ᛑᛆᚵ᛫ᛒᚯᚱᚤᛆᛑᛂ᛫ᛋᚮᛚᛂᚿ᛫ᚮᚴ᛫ᚡᛁᚿᛑᛂᚿ᛫ᛒᚱᚰᚴᛆ᛫ᚮᛉ᛫ᚡᛂᛉ᛫ᛆᚠ᛫ᛑᛂᛉ᛫ᛋᚮᛉ᛫ᚠᛆᚱ᛫ᛋᛐᛆᚱᚴᛆᛋᛐ᛬ᛑᛂ᛫ᚴᚢᚿᛑᛂ᛫ᛁᚿᛐᛂ᛫ᛂᚿᛆᛋ᛫ᛋᚰ᛫ᛑᛂ᛫ᛒᛂᛋᛐᛅᛉᛑᛂ᛫ᛋᛁᛦ᛫ᚠᚯᚱ᛫ᛆᛐ᛫ᚢᛚᛉᛆᚿᛆ᛫ᚡᛆᚱᛆᚿᛑᚱᛆ᛫ᛔᚰ᛫ᛂᚿ᛫ᛚᛁᛐᛂᚿ᛫ᛐᛅᚡᛚᛁᚿᚵ᛬”ᛋᛂᚱ᛫ᛑᚢ᛫ᛉᛆᚿᛂᚿ᛫ᛑᛅᚱ᛫ᚿᛂᚱᛂX”ᛋᛆᛑᛂ᛫ᚡᛁᚿᛑᛂᚿ ᛐᛁᛚ᛫ᛋᚮᛚᛂᚿ᛬”ᛚᚰᛐ᛫ᚮᛋ᛫ᛋᛂ᛫ᚡᛂᛉ᛫ᛋᚮᛉ᛫ᚴᛆᚿ᛫ᛋᛚᛁᛐᛆ᛫ᛆᚡ᛫ᛡᚮᚿᚮᛉ᛫ᚱᚮᚴᛂᚿ᛫ᛋᚿᛆᛒᚿᛋᛐ᛬”

Goulsse, a way to write the Gur languages of West Africa developed by Wenitte Apiou and Babaguioue Micareme Akouabou.

Sample text in Goulsse

There are new language pages about:

  • Tai Dón (ꪼꪕꪒꪮꪙꫀ), a Southwestern Tai language spoken in Vietnam, Laos and China.
  • Láá Láá Bwamu (làa làa bũamu), a Gur language spoken in Balé Province in the Boucle du Mouhoun Region, and in the Hauts-Bassins Region of Burkina Faso.

New phrases page: Yongbei Zhuang (Cuengh), a variety of Zhuang spoken in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • Yongbei Zhuang (Cuengh)
  • Tai Dam (ꪼꪕꪒꪾ), a Southwestern Tai language spoken in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and China.

There’s an Omniglot blog post entitled Before the Deluge, which is about the word antediluvian and related words, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in the far north of Canada.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Judeo-Arabic (ערבית יהודית), a variety of Arabic spoken by Jews in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Yemen, Israel and the USA.

There’s a new Celtiadur post are about words for Waves and related things in Celtic languages.

There’s an episode of the Celtic Pathways podcast about words for Druids and related people.

In the Adventure in Etymology we look at the word photoptarmosis (a condition that involving sneezing when exposed to bright lights such as the sun).

I made improvements to the Tai Dam language page, and made a separate page about the Tai Viet script.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Photoptarmosis

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Photoptarmosis

Do you sometimes sneeze when you see the sun or when you are exposed to another bright light? If so, you, like me, might have:

photoptarmosis [ˈfəʊ.tə.tɑɹ.məʊsɪs / ˈfoʊ.tə.tɑː.moʊsɪs]:

  • an inherited and congenital autosomal dominant reflex condition that causes sneezing in response to numerous stimuli, such as looking at bright lights.

It comes from the Ancient Greek words φωτω- (phōtō), from φῶς (phôs – light) and πταρμός (ptarmós – sneeze). The condition is also known as photic sneeze reflex, Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) syndrome, sun sneezing or photosneezia [source].

The word φῶς (phôs), is the Attic form of φᾰ́ος (pháos -light, daylight, a day), which comes from the PIE *bʰéh₂os, from *bʰeh₂- (shine). [source].

The first part of the word phosphorus comes from the same Ancient Greek root (φῶς), while the second part comes from φέρω (phérō – to bear, carry), so phosphorus is “the bearer of light” [source].

Incidentally, the word Pharaoh, as in a supreme ruler of Ancient Egypt, comes from the Ancient Egyptian words pr ꜥꜣ [pɛr ɑːʔɑ] (palace, pharaoh), or literally “great/big house”, and has nothing to do with light, but Φάρος (Pháros) does – it was the Lighthouse of Alexandria and one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World [source].

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

The word πταρμός (ptarmós – sneeze), comes from πτάρνυμαι (ptárnumai – to sneeze), and is the root of the English words ptarmic (a substance, such as pepper or snuff, that causes sneezing) and ptarmoscopy (the divinatory interpretation of sneezes) [source].

Here’s a video I made of this information:

Video made with Doodly [afflilate link].

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Celtic Pathways – Druids

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re looking at words for druids and related people.

pondering

The Proto-Celtic *druwits means priest or druid, and comes from the Proto-Celtic *daru (oak) and *wid-/*windeti (to know, to see), from the Proto-Indo-European *dóru (tree) and *weyd (to see, know) [source].

Descendants in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • draoi [d̪ˠɾˠiː] = druid, wizard, magician, augur, diviner, trickster, and draoíocht (magic, druidism, witchcraft, enchantment) in Irish
  • draoidh [drɯj] = druid, sorcerer, magician, wizard, and draoidheachd (magic, sorcery, druidism) in Scottish Gaelic
  • druaight = charm, druid and druaightagh (smithcraft, smithery) in Manx
  • dryw [drɨu̯/drɪu̯] = druid, seer, and derwydd (prophet, wise man, druid) in Welsh
  • drewydh = druid in Cornish
  • drouiz = druid in Breton

The English word druid comes from the French druide (druid), from the Latin as druidae (the druids), from the Gaulish *druwits (druid) [source].

The Proto-Brythonic word *drüw (druid) was borrowed into Old English as drȳ (sorcerer, magician), which became drī(mann)/driʒ(mann) (sorcerer, magician) in Middle English [source]. A few modern druids use the word drymann, or something similiar, to refer to themselves.

Here’s a traditional Welsh tune called Y Derwydd (The Druid) played by me on the mandolin:

Here’s another version of it:

You can find the dots for this tune on The Session.

More details about these words on Celtiadur, a blog where I explore connections between Celtic languages in more depth.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Omniglot News (14/08/22)

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

This week there are new language pages about:

  • Ambel (galí Ambél), a Malayo-Polynesian language spoken on the island of Waigeo, which is part of the Raja Ampat Regency in West Papua Province in eastern Indonesia.
  • North Marquesan (Te èo ènana), an Eastern Polynesian language spoken in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
  • South Marquesan (Te èo ènata), an Eastern Polynesian language spoken in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.

There are new numbers pages in:

  • North Marquesan (Te èo ènana)
  • South Marquesan (Te èo ènata)
  • Shan (လိၵ်ႈတႆး), a Southwestern Tai language spoken in northern Myanmar, southern China and northern Thailand.
  • Tai Lue (ᦅᧄᦺᦑᦟᦹᧉ), a Southwestern Tai language spoken in China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
  • Ahom (𑜒𑜑𑜪𑜨), a Tai-Kadai language formerly spoken in the Indian state of Assam, which is being revived.

There’s an Omniglot blog post about the French word Essuie-tout (paper towel) and related things, and the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language was once widely spoken across North Africa and the Middle East, but there are now only small numbers of speakers.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Akawaio (Ka’pon), a Cariban language spoken in northern Brazil and eastern Venezuela.

There’s a new Celtiadur post are about words for Sailing and related things in Celtic languages.

There’s an episode of the Celtic Pathways podcast about words for Bards and Poets and related people.

In the Adventure in Etymology we find out what links the word Sneeze with words like pneumatic, pneumonia and pneu (tire/tyre in French).

I wrote a new song this week called That’s When We’ll Do That Thing. It’s based on idioms for things that are very unlikely to happen or will never happen, like pigs flying or hell freezing over. It sounds a bit like this:

I also made improvements to the Dehong Dai / Tai Le script page, Tai Nuea and Tai Lue language pages, and there are now recordings of all the Western Armenian phrases.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

The Fastest Way to Learn Korean with KoreanClass101

Adventures in Etymology – Sneeze

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Today we’re investigating the origins of the word sneeze.

Sneeze

Sneeze [sniːz] means:

  • to emit air or breath suddenly, forcibly, and audibly through the nose and mouth by involuntary, spasmodic action.

It comes from the Middle English snesen [ˈsneːzən] (to sneeze), from fnesen [ˈfneːzən] (to sneeze) from the Old English fnēosan [ˈfne͜oː.zɑn] (to sneeze), from the Proto-Germanic *fneusaną [ɸneu̯.sɑ.nɑ̃] (to sneeze), from the Proto-Indo-European *pnew- (to pant, breathe, snort, sneeze) [source].

A related word in Middle English was fnesy [fneːziː] (having a tendency to wheeze or sneeze) [source]. Other words that began with fn in Middle Engilsh included fnoren and fnorten which became snore and snort in Modern English.

An old word for to sneeze in English was neeze, which is or was used in some dialects in the UK. It came from the Middle English nesen (to sneeze), from the Old English *hnēosan (to sneeze), from the Proto-Germanic *hneusaną (to sneeze), from the PIE *(s)knus- (to sneeze) and *pnew- (to pant, breathe) [source].

Words from the PIE root *pnew- include pneumatic and pneumonia in English, pneu (tyre/tire) in French, and πνέω [ˈpne.o] (to blow) in Greek [source].

Here’s a video I made of this information:

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

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