Word for the wise ©
"The age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists and calculators has succeeded." Edmund Burke. Our trek through the alphabet has brought us to K. The Word for the wise © this week provides an example of how some went up and others went down in the world depending on how Anglo-Saxon words evolved and were employed.
knight is an elevation of the Anglo-Saxon cnith, meaning "boy" or "servant". The armed man on the horse becomes the gallant knight, while the other Anglo-Saxon word for "boy", cnafa, becomes his mortal enemy, the craven knave. With the knights and knaves battling it out using the stirrup (Anglo-Saxon stig-rap, "rope for mounting"), the boy who brushed the animals, the groom, is left holding the horses, as it were, unlike the boy who tended the mares, Old Teutonic, marhosskalkos, Old French, mareschal, who became the marshal, rising to Field Marshal. One the other hand, the man who looked after the stable, comes stabuli (Late Latin), became the constable. From the 17th century on, however, his power declined as the military role of the cavalry eroded. A certain kind of horse-power was nearing its end.To show that etymology has its witty side, it's worth quoting here Denholm-Young's assertion: "It's impossible to be chivalrous without a horse." Witty? Well, cheval is the root of chivalry. Oh. And talking of French, here we come bang up to date with what's happening in the French Quarter of New Orleans where chivalrous knights are desperately needed, but as James Lileks notes: "Last time I checked the French weren't helping much, either — odd. The one place in the country where their guys could read the signs, and they don't bother to pitch in."
Next week, we're at "L". Candidates include "labiate", "listserv" and "lobscouse". Nominations welcome.
