Have you ever thought about the history and derivation of words that are in everyday use? Where have these words come from? When and how did different words arrive into the English language? My FREE resource packs, #EverydayEtymology, have been designed to help you and your learners amplify interest and discussion about some of the words we use every day.
Etymology is the study of the origin (derivation) of words and the way in which their pronunciation, spelling and meaning have changed over time. The word ‘etymology’ contains the roots ‘etym’ meaning ‘truth’ and ‘ology’ meaning ‘the study of.’ Which word truths will you and your learners discover together?
Did you know, for instance, that the word ‘awful’ is a combination of the word ‘awe’ and the suffix ‘ful’ – literally meaning ‘full of awe.’ In the 13th century, this was the original meaning of the word ‘ worthy of respect or fear, striking with awe.’ It was the association with the meaning of ‘fear, fright and pain’ that eventually lead to the shift in meaning and use of this word to mean something undesirable. Another fun fact is with the everyday word ‘why.’ The original, Old English spelling of this word was ‘hwi’ with the ‘h’ and the ‘w’ both pronounced in the word. Over time, the sound of the word shifted with the ‘w’ sound dominating which explains the silent ‘h’ which we know see in the modern spelling of this word.
Everyday Etymology resources introduce three key superheroes of the Word Power League of vocabulary superheroes. Morpheme Marvel challenges learners to think about what the root words are and their associated meanings in history. Captain Connector explores words with shared root meanings which are also related. Doctor Derivation shines in her role as she shares fun facts about word history and influences and changes in the use of the word over time.
Set 1 of Everyday Etymology gives learners an insight to some school-themed words. Did you know, for instance, that the word ‘school’ comes from the original root word ‘segh’ meaning ‘to hold’? It also derives from the Old English word ‘scol’ and the Latin word ‘schola’ with the original meaning of ‘learned conversation.’ Other related word include: scholar, schema, scholastic and persevere.
Set 2 of Everyday Etymology explores the history behind familiar winter-themed words. Did you know that the word ‘snow’ comes from the Old English word ‘snaw,’ Old Saxon word ‘sneo’ and Old Norse ‘snjor’? The word snow originally derives from the Latin word ‘nivem’ which is where we get the French word for snow, ‘neige.’
Set 3 of Everyday Etymology explores fun facts behind spring-themed words. Will these facts give you spring fever? For instance, did you know that the word ‘fresh’ comes from the Germaic root ‘frisko’ and is the source of the Italian and Spanish word ‘fresco.’ If you’ve ever ‘dined al fresco’ you will know where this meaning derives from.
Set 4 of Everyday Etymology is on the theme of summer and Set 5 is on the theme of autumn.
You may also be interested in my #WiseWords collections to spark further conversations about language – Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3.
These, along with many other FREE resources, can be downloaded from the Resources section. I hope that you enjoy using these ideas to open up new conversations about the words in English and those that are also borrowed from other languages. #WordPower #PowerUp #WordPowerLeague #EverydayEtymology #WiseWords #vocabulary
Kelly Ashley Consultancy 