Want to Make a "Bet"? Trivia Quiz

Answer: hebetude

The noun "hebetude" comes from the Late Latin "hebetudo", meaning "mental dullness". The Latin word is in turn derived from the adjective "hebes", which means "blunt" or "dull". Though "hebes" was originally applied to blades and such, it also came to denote a lack of mental sharpness as well as a physical one. The first known use of "hebetude" in English dates from 1621.

As you can imagine, "hebetude" is not a common word in English, though you can find it in articles or essays - such as the one quoted as an example in the Merriam-Webster entry for the word ("an epidemic of hebetude among young people who... are placing too great a reliance on electronic devices to do their thinking and remembering."). Joseph Conrad also used the word several times in his works of fiction.

Answer: betel

The betel plant (Piper betle) is a relative of pepper, widely cultivated in Southeast Asia for its leaves, which are used as wrappers for the nuts of the areca palm (also called "betel nuts"). This mixture, which also includes slaked lime and other flavourings, is known as "betel quid", and chewed routinely by millions of people around the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Unfortunately, this ancient practice, deeply rooted in many cultures of the region, is not only addictive because of the stimulant properties of the areca nuts, but also carcinogenic.

First used in English in 1553, "betel" comes from "verrilai", the name of the plant in the Malayalam language of Kerala (South India), via the Portuguese "bétele". It is not related to the similar word "bethel", which is Hebrew for "house of God".

Answer: bętise

"Bętise" was borrowed directly from French, and in English has kept its meaning of "an act of foolishness or stupidity" or "lack of good sense". This word comes from "bęte", which literally means "beast", but is often used to mean "stupid" or "inconsequential".

This very refined word, first attested in 1798, is not exactly common in English, and found mostly in 19th- or early 20th-century literary texts. In French, on the other hand, it is used rather frequently. A kind of boiled sweets, similar to humbugs, are called "Bętises de Cambrai", as they are said to have been invented by accident as a consequence of a "stupid mistake" (one of the many meanings of "bętise").

Answer: betrothal

"Betrothal" is a word that is found most often in literary works and somewhat older texts, as it refers to a more formal promise of marriage than the modern "engagement". This noun - first used in English in the late 17th century - comes from the verb "betroth" (meaning "promise to marry" or "give in marriage"). This verb is formed by the prefix "be-" and the noun "troth", meaning "one's pledged word". "Troth" comes from Old English "treowţ", from which "truth" also originates. The suffix "-al" forms nouns of action from verbs.

As illustrated in the previous paragraph, "betrothal" has a rather archaic flavour, and harks back to a time when families were often involved in these contracts. Breaking a betrothal agreement could be a very serious matter, unless there were very valid reasons to do so.

Answer: abettor

Generally used in a legal context, the noun "abettor" is derived from the verb "abet" - meaning to instigate or assist another person in committing an offense. It is often found in the phrase "aider and abettor" - in which the two synonymous nouns reinforce each other. The difference between "abettor" and "accessory" is that an abettor - unlike an accessory, who lends his or her aid beforehand - aids an offender while a crime is being committed, and is always present at the crime scene. "Accomplice" is a less technical word that describes either an accessory or an abettor.

The etymology of "abettor" is a very interesting one: it comes from the Old French verb "abeter" - meaning "to bait or harass with dogs" - followed by the nominal suffix "-our" ("-or" or "-er" in modern English). "Beter", a word of likely Norse origin, has the same origin as "bait". "Abet" was first used in English in the 14th century.

Answer: betta

Also known as Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens is a freshwater fish native of Southeast Asia, and a favourite of aquarium keepers all over the world - as well as Thailand's national aquatic animal. Small and brightly-coloured, with large, showy fins, as its name implies the betta is aggressive and highly territorial: if put in the same aquarium, male bettas will fight each other fiercely, often to the death.

Often mispronounced as "beta" (the second letter of the Greek alphabet), the name "betta" probably derives from the Malay "ikan bettah", meaning "fish from the Bettah tribe" - Bettah being the name of an ancient tribe of warriors. In Thai, bettas are called "plakat", which means "biting fish".

Answer: gibbet

A gibbet was an upright pole with a crosspiece that was mostly used to display the bodies of people who had already been executed. Those macabre displays were meant as a warning against engaging in criminal activity. Occasionally, gibbets were used as method of execution, as when placing people in cages and leaving them to die of exposure, thirst, or starvation. This barbaric form of punishment was sadly still in use in various parts of the world until relatively recent times.

The word "gibbet" comes from the French "gibet", which originally meant "staff" or "cudgel". and later came to mean "gallows". The origin of "gibet" is still debated: some have suggested a derivation from a Frankish (Germanic) word meaning "forked stick", while others hold the word comes from the Latin "gibbus" ("hunchbacked"). The first known use of "gibbet" as a noun dates from the 13th century. As a verb, "to gibbet" is also used in the meaning of "expose to public scorn" (similar to "pillory") - a usage dating form the 1640s.

Answer: sorbet

Though "sorbet" and "sherbet" are often used interchangeably, they do not actually refer to the same thing - at least in European usage. A sorbet is a frozen dessert (occasionally also served between entrées as a palate cleanser) eaten with a spoon. A sherbet, on the other hand, is a non-alcoholic, sweet beverage very popular in various parts of Asia - or, as in the UK, a fizzy, sweet powder that can be mixed with water, or used as a filling for sweets (candy). In the US, however, sherbet (also spelled "sherbert") is also a kind of frozen dessert, differentiated from sorbet by the presence of some dairy product.

In any case, "sorbet" and "sherbet" come from the same word - Persian "sharbat",in turn derived from Arabic "shariba" ("to drink" - from which also "syrup" originated). First attested in 1864, "sorbet" entered English from French, which had borrowed the word from Italian "sorbetto"; the first known use of "sherbet" is from the early 17th century. "Sorbetto" is believed to have been influenced in form by the Italian verb "sorbire" (of Latin origin), which means "to sip".

Answer: quodlibet

"Quodlibet" literally means "what pleases you" - from the Latin words "quod" ("what") and "libet" (you like") - almost in the same sense as modern English "whatever". In the Middle Ages, however, this word was applied to improvised philosophical or theological debates - often on minor points - which were rather common as practice for students of those subjects. In 15th-century Europe, especially Germany, the word underwent a rather dramatic shift in meaning - from a serious discussion on weighty topics to a list of loosely connected items compiled with humorous intent. In the mid-17th century, "quodlibet" was being used for a lighthearted medley of musical tunes combined together to please the audience.

In its more "serious" sense, "quodlibet" was first attested in Middle English in the 13th century, while the musical sense, borrowed from German, dates from the mid-19th century. Dictionaries generally record both meanings.

Answer: barbette

In spite of appearances, "barbette" does not denote a small beard, but a kind of artillery placement either in ground fortifications or on naval ships. Originally, a barbette was a raised platform on a rampart that allowed a cannon to be fired over a parapet. On naval ships, a barbette was instead a kind of armoured enclosure protecting a gun.

While "barbe" in French does mean "beard", this diminutive form refers to a kind of women's headdress consisting of a wide band of linen that passed beneath the chin (hence its name of "little beard") and was pinned on top or at the sides of the head. The military structure took its name from the perceived similarity to this particular item of clothing. The first known use of "barbette" in English dates from 1772.