Omnēs scimus multa verba Angliae orita esse de linguā Latinā, quod est causa communissima cur populī etiam linguam Latinam student. Tamen multa verba fabulās iucundās tenent, coniunctae saepe ad fragmentum historiae aut moris antiquī. Hīc sunt pauca verba qua accipimus de linguā Latinā cum fabulīs originis singularibus.
Rival – Hic verbum significat “inimicus” et oritur de verbō “rivalis” in linguā Latinā cum sententiā eādem. Id nascitur de verbō “rivus,” significante “river,” quod ostendit rivalēs fuisse vicinōs quī contendebant ad opēs eāsdem.
Decimate – Plerumque hic verbum significat “necare aut destruere partem magnam reī,” sed subtilius significat “necare unum virum de decem virīs.” Hic verbum oritur de verbō “decimatus” in linguā Latinā, quod sententiam eandem habet, et nascitur de consuetudine Romanā punientī urbem aut exercitum per necantem unum virum de decem virīs.
Quarantine – Verbum significat “spatium separationis coactae,” oritum de verbō “quadraginta” in linguā Latinā, significante “forty.” Causa de hōc est intra pestem in 1377, consilium in Venetiā dixit navēs mansurae esse diebus quadraginta sponsum nemo in navibus pestem habuit.
Candidate – Hic verbum significat “aliquis quī petens petit honorem electione,” et oritur de verbō “candidus” in linguā Latinā, significante “white” aut “shining.” In Romā, aliquī petentēs honorēs gesserunt togās specialēs vocatās “togās candidās,” quae demonstraverunt eorum candorem mentis.
Trivial – Verbum “trivia” significat “scientia obscura cum nihil magnitudinis,” et est forma pluralis de verbō “trivium” in linguā Latinā quod significat “locus ubi tres viae conveniunt.” Trivium fuit locus publicusque communis, quod deinde effecit sententiam de “trivia” esse scientiam mediamque pusillam.
As we all know, many English words originated from Latin, which is one of the most common reasons why people still study Latin. However, many of these words have interesting stories behind them, often related to a piece of ancient history or culture. Here are a few words that we get from Latin with unique origin stories:
Rival – The word “rival” means “an adversary” and originates from the Latin word “rivalis” of the same meaning. This word comes from the Latin word “rivus,” meaning “river,” which suggests that rivals were neighbors who were competing for the same resources.
Decimate – In general, the word “decimate” means “to kill or destroy a large part of (something),” but more accurately means “to put to death every tenth man.” This word originates from the Latin word decimatus, which has a similar meaning, and comes from the Romans’ practice of punishing a city or army by killing one in ten men randomly.
Quarantine – The word “quarantine” means “any period of forced isolation,” originating from the Latin word quadraginta, meaning “forty.” The explanation for this is that during the plague in 1377, a policy in Venice stated that ships had to wait 40 days to ensure that no one aboard had the plague.
Candidate – This word means “someone seeking office by election” and comes from the Latin word candidus, meaning “white” or “shining.” In Rome, those seeking office would wear special white togas called the toga candida, which symbolized the purity of their intentions.
Trivial – The word “trivia” means “trifling information of little consequence,” and is actually the plural form of the Latin word trivium which means “the place where three roads meet.” A trivium was somewhere public and commonplace, which then led to the meaning of “trivia” as ordinary, insignificant knowledge.