20 Words You Probably Use That Have Surprising Historical Origins

We all know the expression, “the eyes are the window to the soul,” but did you know that windows and eyes have a lot more in common? The word window comes from the Norse word vindauga, with vindr meaning wind and auga meaning eye. Vikings saw windows as eyes that let wind and light inside.

When I think about the word nice, I think of the bluest sky on a sunny day, the most refreshing ice-cold lemonade, laughing with my best friends on the beach, our toes deep in the sand. I definitely don’t think of the words foolish, ignorant, or unaware. But during the Middle Ages, that is exactly what the word nice meant. As it happens with the English language, the word nice went through several definitions before reaching what we know it as today.

I can think of quite a few things that are truly awful. A basement flood, catching a cold before a big trip, failing an important exam. But before we used the word awful to describe something completely devastating, it meant the opposite. If you described something as awful, you were saying that it filled you with awe and deep respect. Over time, the definition turned into something more sinister.

You’d have to be a pretty big eater to get a food item named after you, and so goes the story of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. John loved to eat, and he loved it so much that he just couldn’t waste time cutting meat with a fork and knife. While he was playing cards, he wanted to be able to eat his dinner without any pauses, so he asked for slices of meat between bread that he could eat with his hands. No one really knows if this story is true, but I think it’s the perfect explanation for how the sandwich was born.

The word deadline used to mean something far more serious than it does today. It literally meant life or death. Sure, if you miss an important deadline at work, it may feel like your life is over, but you still wake up the next day, ready to spit out your excuse to get you out of trouble. But during the American Civil War, a deadline could literally mean the end of your life. It was a physical line that was drawn to surround prisoner-of-war camps. If any prisoner crossed the deadline, it was over for them.

I’ve always called myself the queen of nightmares. I’ve got a pretty big imagination, and apparently that manifests in my dreams. The word nightmare didn’t always mean waking up in a cold sweat because you dreamt of scary monsters. The word came from this old European supernatural creature called a mare. According to legend, a mare would sit on your chest while you slept, making it difficult to breathe. Yeah, I’d say that’s something out of a nightmare.

There were elections in Ancient Rome, but those seeking positions of power didn’t wear suits to plead their case to the public. They wore those white togas you see frat boys running around in at college parties. These men in white are what inspired the word candidate (the Latin word being candidatus).

When we think of a salary, we think of that big, fat paycheck we get every 2 weeks from our employer. But before the word salary was associated with a yearly income, its meaning was tied to something quite unexpected: salt. The word salary actually comes from the Latin word salarium, which means salt allowance. People used to exchange a lot more than money, and that included salt.

In 1920, Czech writer Karel Čapek wrote the play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). This was the very first time the word robot was used. Karel didn’t actually come up with it, though. He later wrote that the word was his brother Josef’s offhand suggestion. In his play, Čapek created a world where robots were these artificial workers that humans created to essentially be their slaves. The play was such a hit that the concept of robots stuck with people. So, when you look at your robot vacuum tidying up your floor, you have the Čapek brothers to thank.

Let’s take it back to some Greek mythology again. The word panic is associated with Pan, who is a half-goat god of the wilderness. In his story, Pan can cause fear among people by making eerie noises and appearing suddenly from out of the shadows. He was a god who literally created panic.

I got a good chuckle out of this origin story. When I think of the word muscle, I think of bodybuilders at the gym, flexing for their admirers. I think of strong women athletes showing off their gold medals at the Olympics. I don’t think of tiny mice, but yet, that’s exactly what I should be thinking of. The Latin word for muscle is in fact musculus, which means little mouse. There’s actually a clever reason for this. When Ancient Romans would watch people’s muscles flex under their skin, they thought the motion looked like small mice running around.

I love a good mystery novel, and I especially love trying to work out all the clues alongside the protagonist. But the word clue wasn’t always associated with solving mysteries. Its origins definitely surprised me. The word clue was originally spelled “clew” and meant a ball of yarn or thread. So, how did these two definitions finally come together? Well, in Greek mythology, Theseus was lost in the Labyrinth. To help him find his way out, Ariadne gave him a ball of thread. This clever trick helped Theseus solve his problem, and thus, the two meanings merged, and “clue” became what it is today.

Television and radio broadcasts weren’t always a thing, but surprisingly, the word broadcast had been used long before these inventions. When farmers would scatter seeds across a field, that was what they’d call a broadcast. So, when you think of a broadcast as something that sends out information to a large group of people, picture the farmers tossing their seeds broadly across the field.

I don’t think I ever got the hang of chess, but I’m always impressed by the professional players who can think 10 moves ahead. The winning term in chess is “checkmate,” and it comes from the Persian phrase shah mat, which means “the king is helpless.”

You have to be a pretty iconic or memorable person to get a word named after you, and that’s exactly what happened to Charles Boycott. In the 1800s, Charles was a land agent in Ireland. He was pretty much hated by everyone, especially the farmers whom he treated terribly. People despised him so much that they refused to engage with him, leading him to be completely cast out by society. And so, the word boycott was born because a man was so hated that everyone refused to speak to him again.

I don’t care how uncomfortable they are, I love a good pair of jeans. I’ve always wondered how denim pants got the name, and I was surprised to find out that they are named after the Italian city of Genoa. In Genoa, sailors would wear these cotton pants, and they were such a fashion statement that they became known across Europe. Eventually, the word jeans was used to describe any pair of denim pants.

I hate goodbyes. I’ve moved cities quite a few times, and saying goodbye to my friends and neighbors, not knowing when I’ll see them again, has always been difficult. I guess I should at least have some comfort in knowing that when I said goodbye to my loved ones, I was wishing them a centuries-old blessing. “God be with ye” is the original definition of goodbye, and it’s sweet knowing I was wishing them well as we parted ways.

In my opinion, ketchup is the most iconic condiment. Burgers, hot dogs, fries, it goes great with so many things. My grandpa even loved some ketchup on his mac and cheese (some would find this disgusting, and that’s okay!). The first version of ketchup was a Southeast Asian fermented fish sauce. It was called kê-tsiap. Somewhere along the way, the fish was replaced with tomatoes, and the rest is history.

If you were asked to define whiskey, I don’t think “water of life” would come to mind. But yet, that is exactly what the word means, coming from the Gaelic phrase uisce beatha. Apparently, monks believed that spirits (the drinks) were good for the body and mind. I guess if you want an excuse to go all out drinking with your friends, I just gave it to you.

I’m starting to see that many English words come from Greek mythology. This time, it’s all about Echo, the mountain nymph who was known for being a bit of a blabbermouth. Her punishment for talking too much? Forever cursed to repeat the last words said by others.