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Fred's Words have touched on a variety of topics, so we devided the "words" into manageable categories. Click a text link below to peruse:
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The Latin "kernel" FAC has made it into the English language in a variety of disguises. In this Weekly Word installment, Fred looked at some of its incarnations.
We received some of our English words after the ‘Battle of Hastings’ in 1066. The Normans dumped their funny version of French/Latin in on top of Anglo-Saxon German and Nordic.
"Fic" seemed to end up being in the middle of things:
- beneFICence beneFICal BeneFICiary
- certiFICate deFICit deFICient
- difFICult efFICient ediFICe
- magniFICence muniFICence ofFICes
- ofFICer oriFICe proFICient
- How about in Spanish---aFICionado
- sacraFICe sufFICient honoriFIC paciFIC
The three Latin words all have the same root—they do not translate well into English. More of a combining word.
Sort of ties two thoughts together—"bene" for example means "good" and "ient" (or "ie") is kind of "lack of something". To look up "ie" you have to look up "je" in the Latin dictonary—remember Js were Is, i.e. King Iames of England. Just as "Us" were "Vs" and two "Us" jammed together is a "double U" or "W".
So beneficiary literally translated, would be "someone who is lacking something good" or in modern English she or he is going to get "something good" according to someone’s Will. (You know how the British love to turn words around).
Fice was a kind of shelf in an animal barn. Things needed to take care of the animals were placed on the shelf—perhaps a hoof cleaning tool, maybe some thongs to repair leather parts, a treat for a favorite horse (an apple).
The shelf made its way into the house, finally, and odds and ends were stored on it. I would guess that a feather and ink made its way to the Fice and one day it probably had so much junk on it that it ended up in a separate room—and became an ofFICE---"on the shelf" or "of the shelf"—"of the Fice". Makes sense to me.
Shelf and Fice even sort of have a similar sound—shelf fice fice—shelf. I can see how a Saxon warrior would turn his Germanic tongue around that word.
Anyway sufFICE to say—that’s enough.
Better "shelve" this one for now before I deSCEND into oblivion. (Scend means to leap & de means down—we dropped the "c" out of the word send and its after-the-fact cousin "sent").
LATER ADDITION TO ORIGINAL e_mail:
Facere can also mean "to Make".
So "Bene Facere" would be "to Make Good" or "beneficiary".
The Latin sure got stretched.
Hope you new "Word Klub" members and guests enjoy the "words". If you have a favorite word—send it to Tom or myself and we will SCEND it around to the rest of the members. If you have a question about a word or saying—we’ll do our best to find it.
It is no wonder that people coming to America (includes Canada—they live in North America too) have so much trouble with English. Fun though!