Summary: Whether you've fought for freedom or just like military chic, you may have wondered why so many of your clothes have these little attachments on the shoulders .... Today's post has links to answers—and a lesson on just what to call those doo-hickeys and thing-a-ma-bobs.
You know those cool shoulder straps that look so good on military clothes? Whether it's fashion or function, what in the heck do you call them? The answer is epaulets. But can you pronounce that word? If you're like me, then the answer is no. So, click the pronunciation link below to learn!
(Note: Every week, I include a link like this to the WOW, or Word of the Week. The code that follows the link and the dash—and is also always listed in parentheses—stands for adjective, verb or in this case, noun.)
Epaulet (EP - uh - LET) - (n.) something that ornaments or protects the shoulder, often as a fringed pad or a loop that's buttoned or sewn.
The word is French, also spelled epaulette, a diminutive version of the word epaulé for shoulder. It was brought into English in the very late 1700s and is actually related to the word spatula, which once simply defined a flat piece of wood. (Originally, most militaries' shoulder-protecting epaulets were often made of wood.) Because of this relationship, epaulet is a many-generational descendant of the Greek word spathe, meaning a broad, flat sword. What appropriate battle roots!
Want to learn more about the actual item, itself, than just the word history? Check out these lengths for images (showing, among other things, that epaulets have migrated off the shoulders in contemporary civilian fashion) and multi-national military uniform history:
Google images
Wiki history
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2011
Showing posts with label Wikipedia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wikipedia. Show all posts
May 23, 2011
Jul 13, 2009
WORD OF THE WEEK: A Beautiful Noun
Here is one of my favorite nouns: credenza. It's beautiful! But, my, what a dark history it has. Here is its etymology, according to Merriam-Webster online and Wikipedia:
Credenza: from the Italian "credenza"; literally, "belief" or "confidence"; from the Medieval Latin "credentia"; anecdotally, the 16th century act of credenza was "the tasting of food or drinks by a servant for a lord or important person (like popes and cardinals). With this taste they [ascertained] the food was not poisoned. The name then passed to the room where the act took place, then to the furniture."
Today, a credenza is most commonly known as a sideboard used in a dining room or restaurant for serving food buffet style and/or storing dishes for food service. It's also "a modern desk form usually placed next to a wall as a secondary work surface to that of another desk ... in a typical executive office." The desk version of a credenza can also be used to store books, files or other work items.
From potentially-poisoned food-tasting to housing the boss's stationery, the credenza has come a long way in the last 500-some years, although the word's spelling and sound primarily remain the same. What's your favorite noun? And do you know its history?
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
Credenza: from the Italian "credenza"; literally, "belief" or "confidence"; from the Medieval Latin "credentia"; anecdotally, the 16th century act of credenza was "the tasting of food or drinks by a servant for a lord or important person (like popes and cardinals). With this taste they [ascertained] the food was not poisoned. The name then passed to the room where the act took place, then to the furniture."
Today, a credenza is most commonly known as a sideboard used in a dining room or restaurant for serving food buffet style and/or storing dishes for food service. It's also "a modern desk form usually placed next to a wall as a secondary work surface to that of another desk ... in a typical executive office." The desk version of a credenza can also be used to store books, files or other work items.
From potentially-poisoned food-tasting to housing the boss's stationery, the credenza has come a long way in the last 500-some years, although the word's spelling and sound primarily remain the same. What's your favorite noun? And do you know its history?
(c) KiKi Productions, Inc. 2009
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