Etymology of a Liar
When you name things for a living, you sometimes uncover some surprising etymologies—the kind that are so good they can’t possibly be true. You also often learn that certain commonly held beliefs about where our words come from are actually false (to this day, no one knows what the whole nine yards are or where 420 comes from).
Pick any number of words from the below list, and without looking them up, break each down to its etymological roots, explaining how the word came to mean what it currently means today.
nightmare
rubbish
magenta
boysenberry
fragile
tourniquet
nonchalant
dollop
Some false etymologies from our team below:
Fern
from Proto-Germanic, meaning to tickle
Haste
Old french, “hastir” meaning to skip or hop to avoid conversation during tardiness
Vermilion
From Latin meaning little worm