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Quiz about Word Origins
Quiz about Word Origins

The Ultimate Word Origins Quiz | English


Etymology is like linguistic archeology. You dig into words and you discover earlier forms, meanings, etc. Have a try with these - occasionally surprising - word origins.

A multiple-choice quiz by flem-ish. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
flem-ish
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
93,101
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
3235
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 47 (5/10), Guest 172 (0/10), Guest 137 (7/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. Though the English word stomach derives from a Greek word stoma, that Greek word stoma itself does not mean stomach but:______________ Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Carillons got their names from a vulgar Latin word for a set of bells, :"quadrinio", or in a more French form: "quadrillon". How many bells was that originally? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. The French word gigue refers to a dance for which you need agile legs.
A leg of mutton is un gigot in that same language. Which word for a professional seducer of ladies is also related to the idea of a "dancer with agile legs"?

Answer: (Six letters.)
Question 4 of 10
4. How did corned beef get its name? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. In more heroic times the man who walked in front of the army was the general himself, the army- ruler or "heri-wald". Later the man who walked in front of ther army was just the messenger, the announcer of news or the ________________

Answer: (Popular as a title for newspapers.The Daily __________; six letters.)
Question 6 of 10
6. "Hurrah" was a shout that originated with the Cossacks in Russia. It meant: Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Which of these words refers to forecasting events on the basis of dreams? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. A marinade was originally a very simple affair. It meant that you soaked food in ____________________ Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which of these words refers to a Portuguese type of song in which the sad fate of human beings is sung about in a plaintive, almost bluesy style? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which of these is the correct origin of the word migraine ? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Sep 13 2024 : Guest 47: 5/10
Sep 09 2024 : Guest 172: 0/10
Sep 03 2024 : Guest 137: 7/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. Though the English word stomach derives from a Greek word stoma, that Greek word stoma itself does not mean stomach but:______________

Answer: mouth

The stomach was seen as the mouth of the digestive system.
By the way stomatitis is not stomach infection, but mouth infection.
Words relating to the digestion of food are gastronomy; gastritis etc.
2. Carillons got their names from a vulgar Latin word for a set of bells, :"quadrinio", or in a more French form: "quadrillon". How many bells was that originally?

Answer: 4

Carillons are a set of bells IN A TOWER.
Other words in which Latin quater is the root : quatuor; quartet.
3. The French word gigue refers to a dance for which you need agile legs. A leg of mutton is un gigot in that same language. Which word for a professional seducer of ladies is also related to the idea of a "dancer with agile legs"?

Answer: gigolo

The dancer finally became "a man who is paid by a woman to be her lover or companion".
4. How did corned beef get its name?

Answer: It had been corned i.e. preserved in grains of salt.

The beef is cooked in salty water and then pressed into metal containers where it can be kept for a long time. The grains of salt in which the beef was preserved were like the size and shape of corn kernels. To "corn" meat became a name for storing it in coarse salt.
5. In more heroic times the man who walked in front of the army was the general himself, the army- ruler or "heri-wald". Later the man who walked in front of ther army was just the messenger, the announcer of news or the ________________

Answer: herald

Heri as in German Heer (army).
Walt as in German Verwaltung (administration).
Heri-berg was where the army was given accomodation and kind of 'sheltered'. There went on a lot of drinking in those "heriberg"s who now are what the French call une auberge, the Italians un albergo and the Germans ein Herberg.
6. "Hurrah" was a shout that originated with the Cossacks in Russia. It meant:

Answer: Attack!

At least that's what the French Petit Robert Dictionary of Etymology claims. Hurrah occurs in French and in English.
7. Which of these words refers to forecasting events on the basis of dreams?

Answer: Oniromancy

Nigromany is a general term for black magic. Necromancy (compare necrophilia) is the prediction of events on the basis of the study of corpses. Chiromany keeps it simpler and studies hands.
8. A marinade was originally a very simple affair. It meant that you soaked food in ____________________

Answer: salty seawater

The etymology is very simple: marinade derives from "marine" which means "of the sea". The first marinades were little more than a 'bath of seawater'.
9. Which of these words refers to a Portuguese type of song in which the sad fate of human beings is sung about in a plaintive, almost bluesy style?

Answer: Fado

Fado= Portuguese for fate.
A fandango is a Spanish dance.
A saudade is not so much a type of song as a general sad, bluesy feeling which can be expressed through various forms: song, dance, poetry, etc.
A caldeirade is a Portuguese fish stew.
10. Which of these is the correct origin of the word migraine ?

Answer: Greek hemicrania which means pain in one half of the skull

Migraines have nothing to do with travelling pain.They concern one half of the skull.
Source: Author flem-ish

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor nerthus before going online.
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