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Comment by Dallas the Phallus on Thursday

GIF creator: It's pronounced JIF!

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on Thursday

Oh, thanks Natalie. I was just thinking of that word last week, so I can't believe it didn't pop into my mind this time. 

Comment by Natalie A Sera on Wednesday

And then, just to confuse things, there's polymath, which is from the Greek poly = much and manthanein = to learn. So, someone who knows a lot. Or at least enough to know that you can get a second crop from that field! Sorry, couldn't resist! :-P

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on Wednesday

Due to the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma, the word aftermath keeps cropping up as news reporters broadcast from the scene of all that destruction. So I began to be curious about the origin of the word aftermath, since it is 1.) kind of an odd word similar to understand (what does under + stand have to do with comprehension?), 2.) unique (we don't have words like beforemath, overmath, etc.), and 3.) has limited applicability. 

I was certain that the -math had nothing to do with mathematics for the same reason cat has nothing to do with catalogue. But what then was its origin?

Well, this is from etymonline: 

aftermath (n.) 
1520s, originally a second crop of grass grown after the first had been harvested, from after + -math, a dialectal word, from Old English mæð "a mowing, cutting of grass" (see math (n.2)). Figurative sense by 1650s.

And:

math (n.2) 
"a mowing," Old English mæð "mowing, cutting of grass," from Proto-Germanic *mediz (cf. Old Frisian meth, Old High German mad, German Mahd "mowing, hay crop"), from PIE *me- "to cut down grass or grain with a sickle or scythe" (see mow).

First recorded use is from 1520! That's a good long period of usage. And the math had to do with the cutting of grass. Who'd a thunk it!

This is clearly one of those words whose usage has drifted from the original meaning, like decimate has. 

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on March 18, 2013 at 6:01pm

Cute.

Comment by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on March 18, 2013 at 5:56pm

Wingdings is the most novel, LOLcat-font.

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on March 12, 2013 at 8:32pm

That's wonderful. 

Comment by Ruth Anthony-Gardner on March 12, 2013 at 5:00pm

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on March 9, 2013 at 8:06pm

I've added a fun new video to the homepage. 

Comment by Dallas the Phallus on January 26, 2013 at 10:06pm

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