Here's a teaser for you, word fans. Name a three-letter english word that has FIVE different meanings from five different origins.
-- Chris Hunt
-- Chris Hunt
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Quiz question 1
- Thread starter ChrisHunt
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Chance1234
IS-IT--Management
one ?
Chance,
Filmmaker,gentleman and --. -- - ..- .. -..-
,
Chance,
Filmmaker,
,
sleipnir214
Programmer
To the best of my knowledge, the three-letter word with the greatest number of meanings is set.
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CajunCenturion
Programmer
How about "lie"?
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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
I'm getting hung up on the "five different origins" part of this quiz. so far, I can only come up with the word pen, with four different meanings from four different origins (of course, one origin is unknown - A female swan - and the other is only informal for penitentiary).
Susan
[green]Gramen artificiosum odi. [/green]
Susan
[green]Gramen artificiosum odi. [/green]
CajunCenturion
Programmer
Although I hesitate to post this, as perhaps it would be better suited in the Wordplay forum - forum1322 - specifically created for word games and puzzles, I offer the following:
It is interesting that there are five different etymologies (courtesy of Merriam-Webster Online), there does appear to some criss-crossing and close similarities, especially during the Middle French period.
More to the point of this forum is how we are able to properly interpret the meaning of such words, just like set, pen, and lie offered above, by the context in which they are used. Just as changing one word can change the meaning of an entire sentence, changing the sentence can change the meaning of one word in the sentence.
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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
Code:
[COLOR=white white]bay - (ME, from Middle French bai, from Latin badius; akin to Old Irish buide yellow) - a reddish brown
bay - (ME, from Middle French baee opening, from Old French, from feminine of baé) - a compartment, like cargo bay
bay - (ME baien, abaien, from Old French abaiier) - to bark
bay - (ME baye, from Middle French baie) - a inlet of a larger body of water
bay - (ME, berry, from Middle French baie, from Latin baca) - a laurel bush[/color]More to the point of this forum is how we are able to properly interpret the meaning of such words, just like set, pen, and lie offered above, by the context in which they are used. Just as changing one word can change the meaning of an entire sentence, changing the sentence can change the meaning of one word in the sentence.
Good Luck
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To get the most from your Tek-Tips experience, please read FAQ181-2886
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein
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1
- Thread starter
- #8
Cajun's got it, or at least he's got the one I was thinking of (highlight his code box to read what it says).
According to yourdictionary.com, "set" has a lot of meanings - 27 for the verb form alone, starting with "To put in a specified position; place: set a book on a table.", but they mostly come from the same root: [Middle English setten, from Old English settan; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]. The use of "set" as a noun to denote a group of things comes from another root: [Middle English sette, from Old French, from Medieval Latin secta, retinue, from Latin, faction ; see sect.]
"lie" has fewer meanings, and also has two roots - Middle English lien for lie on the ground; Middle English, from Old English lyge for lie through your teeth.
"pen" gets four, as Susan has pointed out.
I wonder if there's any word out there that merits six seperate entries in the dictionary?
PS. You're right Cajun, this could have gone to Forum1322 , I put it here cos it was a thread here talking about reign and rein that put me in mind of this nugget.
This probably could have gone into the Wordplay forum - I posted it here b
-- Chris Hunt
According to yourdictionary.com, "set" has a lot of meanings - 27 for the verb form alone, starting with "To put in a specified position; place: set a book on a table.", but they mostly come from the same root: [Middle English setten, from Old English settan; see sed- in Indo-European roots.]. The use of "set" as a noun to denote a group of things comes from another root: [Middle English sette, from Old French, from Medieval Latin secta, retinue, from Latin, faction ; see sect.]
"lie" has fewer meanings, and also has two roots - Middle English lien for lie on the ground; Middle English, from Old English lyge for lie through your teeth.
"pen" gets four, as Susan has pointed out.
I wonder if there's any word out there that merits six seperate entries in the dictionary?
PS. You're right Cajun, this could have gone to Forum1322 , I put it here cos it was a thread here talking about reign and rein that put me in mind of this nugget.
This probably could have gone into the Wordplay forum - I posted it here b
-- Chris Hunt
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