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Here’s Part Five of Interesting Etymologies (word origins)!

Umbrella, Parasol
The word umbrella is from the Latin word umbra, which meanings “shade” or “shadow”. Umbra derived from the Ancient Greek word ómbros. Another word for umbrella is parasol, which was first used as a protection against the extreme heat of the sun. In Latin, para means “stop” or “shield”, and sol means “sun”.

Brolly is a slang word for umbrella that is used in Britain, New Zealand and Australia. Bumbershoot was a fancy name for umbrellas in America back in the late 19th century. Umbrellas are also sometimes called gamps in Britain, after the character Mrs. Gamp in the Charles Dickens novel Martin Chuzzlewit.

Chocolate
The word “chocolate” comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolat. Xocolat means “bitter water”, a combination of the words, xocolli (“bitter”), and atl (“water”). The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. Chocolate is also associated with the Maya god of fertility. On the right is a photograph of a tree growing cacao beans.

Platypus
The Platypus is an egg-laying mammal found in eastern Australia. It has a distinct duck bill and webbed feet. The word platypus is a Latin word derived from the Greek words “platys” (flat, broad) and “pous” (foot) – so the word platypus means “flat foot”, indicative of its physical features.

Algorithm
In 825 AD, a Persian astronomer and mathematician named Al-Khwārizmī wrote a treatise called On Calculation with Hindu Numerals (written in Arabic). It was translated into Latin in the 12th century as Algoritmi de numero Indorum. The title was most likely intended to mean “Algoritmi on the numbers of the Indians”, where “Algoritmi” was the translator’s rendition of the author’s name. However, people treated Algoritmi as a Latin plural and this led to the word “algorithm” (Latin algorismus) coming to mean “calculation method”. The intrusive “th” is most likely due to a false cognate with the Greek ἀριθμός (arithmos) meaning “number”.

Engineering
Engineering comes from the word engineer, which itself dates back to 1325 – back then, an engine’er referred to a operator or constructor of military engines. These “engines” were military machines, mechanical contraptions used in war (such as catapults). The word engine is ultimately derived from the Latin word ingenium, meaning “innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention”.

Smorgasbord
Smörgåsbord is a Swedish word which refers to a type of buffet. The Swedish word “smörgåsbord” is a combination word consisting of the words smörgås (“sandwich”) and bord (“table”). “Smörgås” can further be broken down into the words smör (“butter”) and gås (literally means “goose”, but in its old meaning it is churned butter floating on skimmed milk). This term is sometimes used in English to describe a buffet-like meal. In Norway it is called a koldtbord and in Denmark it is called a kolde bord.

Jade, Nephrite
Although Jade is associated with China and Japan, its word origin has no Asian connections. The word ‘jade’ is derived from the Spanish term piedra de ijada or ‘stone of the flanks’, because there was a popular belief that jade could cure pain in the renal/kidney area of the body. In French, the word ijada became l’ejade (“the jade”). Another word for jade is nephrite. In Greek, nephros means “kidney”.

Marathon
The word marathon comes from an ancient Greek legend. Pheidippides, a Greek messenger, was sent from the town of Marathon to go to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC. The legend states that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming “Nenikékamen” (We have won), before collapsing and dying.

Photo Credits:
Chocolate, Parasol, Jade, Marathon – Wikipedia
Platypus – State of the Environment Tasmania
Math – luftg1t4rr3
Smorgasbord buffet – alisdair