The English language is a strange melting pot of words from around the world, fused through millennia of inversions, wars, colonial expansion, and scientific and cultural developments.
Of the approximately 750,000 words that you can learn in English, we have already picked out the most beautiful, funniest and strangest – but which English words have the strangest origins?
1. Clue
Actually, English speakers stole this word from the Greek gods. It comes from the word “clew” from Greek mythology.
When the Minotaur – a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull – imprisoned the mythical King Theseus in a maze, Legend has it that Theseus escaped with the help of a ball of yarn.
He used the yarn to record his route so he could go back if he got lost.
A “clew” was something that showed one the way and was later understood in a broader sense as an offer of guidance to discover the truth.
2. Hooligan (German: rioter)
There are many words for troublemaker in English: ruffian, thug, hoodlam, yob, chav, lout… The list is endless. Not only does each word have its own nuanced meaning, but it often gives insight into which region of the UK the speaker comes from.
However, when you are called a “hooligan,” the origin is less clear. According to the Oxford English Erymology Dictionary, it comes from the surname of a raucous Irish family, the Houlihan family, mentioned in an old song from the 1890s.
Another theory is that during the Jacobite Rising of 1745, an English commander misunderstood the Scots’ Gaelic word for the insect mosquito – “meanbh-chuileag”.
So he introduced the new word “hooligan” to express his frustration with the annoying mosquitoes. Later it was used to describe someone as just as annoying as the mosquitoes!
3. Nice
Teachers in English-speaking countries often despair at the overuse of the adjective “nice” in their students’ expository texts.
It turns out they have even more reasons to ban the word from their classrooms – the term originally had a negative connotation, meaning “ignorant” or “stupid.”
Linguists have traced many possible origins of this word. It could come from the old French version of the word “nice” in the 13th century or from the Latin “necius”.
It is estimated that over time it slowly became a positive term because, once introduced into the English language, it was often used to refer to a person who was ridiculously overdressed.
At some point it was confused with a person who was dressed “nicely”.
4. Shampoo (German: shampoo, hair wash)
Now you have another reason to enjoy your shower. The word shampoo comes from the Hindi word for “massage”.
Derived from the Sanskrit root “chapati” (चपति) – a type of flatbread – it was initially used for any type of pressing or kneading.
The definition was expanded in 1860 to include “washing the hair.” It wasn’t until the 1950s that the meaning was expanded again to include washing carpets and other materials.
5. Nightmare
It’s pretty obvious where the first part of the word “nightmare” comes from. But what about “mare”? The riders among you may be wondering if this has anything to do with horses. The word is misleading.
“Mare” actually refers to a female goblin who sits on you and strangles you in your sleep. Then she wraps her hair around you and tries to trigger bad thoughts…pretty nightmarish right?
6. Sandwich (German: sandwich, bread and butter)
The namesake of the (weird) word sandwiches is the fourth Earl of Sandwich in the British county of Kent. He was a politician and nobleman in the 18th century.
The circumstances surrounding Mr. Sandwich’s alleged invention of the sandwich are the subject of heated debate among linguists. Some believe he placed his food between two slices of bread so he wouldn’t have to leave his beloved gaming table.
Apparently, other gamblers began asking waiters for the “same as sandwich” and later just a “sandwich.”
Others (perhaps those who respect Mr. Sandwich’s work a little more) believe that he ate his food this way so that he could remain at his desk and attend to his political obligations.
7. Shambles
The origin of the word “shambles” is a real mess. Which is ironic since “shambles” literally means “mess.” It’s not uncommon for native English speakers to complain that their lives are “a shambles.”
The term supposedly comes from the Latin word “scamillus”, meaning a small stool or chair. During the period when “scamillus” was used, the word “shambles” had the same meaning.
We don’t know why both words were used, but at some point “scamillus” was clarified to distinguish it from the other word. It was first used to describe a chair or stool on which something is sold.
A few years later, it was further narrowed down to only describe a chair (or stand) where meat was sold. Then it was called the meat market, then the slaughterhouse.
And at some point, “shambles” became an original play on words to describe life as a “bloody mess”, i.e. a damned (or literally translated bloody) chaos…just like a slaughterhouse.
8. Tattoo (German: tattoo, tattoo)
The “tattoo” takes its name from the Polynesian word “tatau,” which was simply a mark on the skin. This form of the term developed from the Samoan word “tattow”, i.e. “to strike”.
The first known use in English appeared in 1786 in Captain James Cook’s Endeavor Diary. In it he described the tradition of tattooing among the people he met on his travels in Polynesia.
The practice of tattooing existed in England before, but was seen as a form of painting. In fact, an Indonesian native of New Guinea who was sadly brought to Britain as a slave in 1691 was nicknamed the “Painted Prince” because of the markings on his skin.
9. Ketchup (German: ketchup, tomato sauce)
The famous tomato sauce you dip your fries in didn’t always taste as good as it does now. There are many theories as to where the term comes from. The first reference to it possibly dates back to the 17th century.
Back then, the Chinese used “kôe-chiap” (鮭汁) to describe a mixture of pickled fish and spices. Ketchup’s first record in the English language is in the 1690 dictionary, where it was spelled “catchup.”
10. Checkmate
The chess term “checkmate” is said to come from the Persian word “shāh māt” (شاه مات), which translates to “the king is helpless”.
However, it can also mean “the king is dead”, since chess came to Europe through the Arab world and the Arabic word for dead is “māta” (مَاتَ).
Many reject this second version of the word’s origin, since the king does not die in chess. He is simply put in a position from which he cannot escape.
11. Robot (German: robot, automaton)
Shakespeare was not the only writer to introduce new words into the English language. The English word “robot” comes from the Czech word “robota”, which translates to forced labor.
The word was introduced in the 1920s by author Karel Čapek, whose science fiction play “RUR” (“Rossom’s Universal Robots”) explored the idea of creating synthetic humans.
Interestingly, he later revealed that he didn’t invent the word himself. According to him, it was his brother, who was a writer himself but was primarily known for his work as a painter.
12. Barbecue (German: barbecue, grilling)
The term “barbecue” comes from the Caribbean word “barbakoa”, which means “scaffolding made of horse mackerel”. Makes sense. The interesting thing is that the first recorded word “barbecue” in the English language was a verb, not a noun.
While it first appeared in 1648 in the form of the noun “barbecado,” it appeared in 1661 as the verb “barbecue.” This should put an end to the debates surrounding the use of “barbecue” as a verb.
