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bonfire

The word “Bonfire” is derived from the middle english “Banefire”, bane meaning bone. This was the name of the practice of burning the bones of those convicted of heresy in a large fire.

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Cocktail

The word “Cocktail” originally refers to the mixed pedigree of horses and finds it similarity in the modern interpretation of mixed alcoholic spirits.

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Dandelion

The origin of the word “Dandelion” is derived from a contraction of old French “Dent-de-lioun” literally meaning lion's tooth. An illusion of the flower's toothed leaves

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groggy

The word “Groggy” refers back to an old ship captain nicknamed “Old Grog” who favored wearing a raincoat made of the material grogram. Old Grog was well known for cutting soldier's rations of rum with water. This mixture often left them feeling... More

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hearse

The word “hearse” shares a root with the Oscan word for wolf “hirpus” this was a reference to a flat framework of candles that hung from the coffin during a funeral procession which was an allusion to a wolfs teeth

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mortgage

“Mortgage" from the old French “morgage”, literally meaning death pledge. This was because the deal either dies when the debt is paid, when payment fails, or when the payee dies.

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Sabotage

Sabotage” is defined as “the deliberate and malicious destruction of property” the origins of the word come from a folk etymology referring to labor disputes in which it was said that strikers threw shoes into machinery in a bid to disable them.

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Sanguine

The word “Sanguine” meaning “ cheerful, hopeful, and vivacious” refers to an old medicinal theory known as the four humours in which certain conditions were thought to be caused by an excess of one of four fluids. Sanguine was thought to be a... More

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Yawn of Chaos

The words “Yawn” and chaos share the same proto-indo-European root of “Gheih” a reference to the vast emptiness and gaping maw of the void

Work by

David Trebenski

illustration

“"Lingual lore" is a poster merchandise series that explores the concept of the evolution of language by visually representing the past definitions, translations, or folk etymologies of ten common...” [More]