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 prisoner was made fast by chains. The OE spelling changed to shamefast, meaning “bashful,” i.e., restrained by feelings of embarrassment.” Since “fast” no longer made sense to speakers in that combination, the spelling was rationalized to shamefaced. A bashful person frequently goes red in the face.
side of my truck. Then I realized it was just Eric. I started walking again. "Hey, Eric," I called. "Hi, Bella." "What's up?" I said as I was unlocking the door. I wasn't paying attention to the uncomfortable edge in his voice, so his next words took me by surprise. "Uh, I was just wondering... if you would go to the spring dance with me?" His voice broke on the last word. "I thought it was girls' choice," I said, too startled to be diplomatic. "Well, yeah," he admitted, shamefaced. I recovered my composure and tried to make my smile warm. "Thank you for asking me, but I'm going to be in Seattle that day." "Oh," he said. "Well, maybe next time." "Sure," I agreed, and then bit my lip. I wouldn't want him to take that too literally. He slouched off, back toward the school. I heard a low chuckle. Edward was walking past the front of my truck, looking straight forward, his lips pressed together. I yanked the door open and jumped inside, slamming it loudly behind me
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