Inglise leksikoloogia kordamisküsimuste vastused
of words, sometimes resulting in changes to the words in question. (Examples: rosemary, cutlet, crayfish, island,
nickname, newt, cherry, pea)
For example, one frequently repeated “folk etymology” is that the expression rule of thumb derives from a medieval
law that restricted wife beaters to a stick no bigger round than the thickness of their thumbs. It makes for a
sensational story, but has no truth in it.
Professional etymologists use the term folk etymology to describe the process by which an unfamiliar word is altered
through use to resemble a more familiar word.
Folk etymologies result from mishearing, mispronunciation, misunderstanding, and a desire to rationalize words that
make no sense to the speaker.
Here are a few examples of words that have been altered by the process of folk etymology:
shamefaced: OE scamfaest, “restrained by shame.” The element “fast” had the sense it has in this sentence: The
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