Interesting Etymologies
(This is definitely gonna be a series. I have so many of these)
- Hotdog - In 19th century America, a widespread belief was that sausages were made from dog meat, so they started calling them 'hotdogs'.
- Sinister - Sinister comes from a Latin word that means 'on the left side', as left-handed people were once associated with wickedness and other negative traits.
- Vaccine - The word vaccine comes from the Latin word 'vaccus', meaning 'cow', as the first vaccine used a dose of cowpox to prevent smallpox.
- Pants - There once was a legend about a man who was the emperor's doctor. After it was discovered that he was a Christian, the emperor sought to have him executed. The execution didn't succeed, and he forgave his executioner. This kindness earned him the name 'Pantaleon', which means 'all-compassionate'. Pantaleon became the patron saint of Venice, and 'Pantalon' became a popular Venetian name. Then, in the 16th century, Commedia Dell'Arte (comedy plays performed by travelling troupes; always involving the same stock characters) became popular. In these plays, Pantalone was the stereotypical Venetian character. He wore long trousers like the Venetians did, and these trousers became known as 'pantaloons', which was later shortened to 'pants'.
- Toxin - The word 'toxin' comes from 'toxikos', the Greek word for things related to archery. This is because the ancient Greeks would poison the tips of their arrows when they went to war.