Etymology Group
Group Leader:- Alverie Weighill | |
Venue:- North West Resource Centre, College Mains Road, Dumfries DG2 0BX | |
Time:- 10.30-12.30 2nd Thursday of the month |
Meeting through to April 11 2023
Etymology allows us to wander around the world and through time without leaving our armchairs. This said, companions certainly make it more stimulating, hence the Dumfries U3A Etymology Group. We choose to wander (from West Germanic “wundrōjanan”, meaning to roam) rather than travel (from Old French “travailler”, meaning to toil) for that’s much more fun.
In our small group we have traced the origins of many words from perhaps as far back as their Indo European roots, through branches of Celtic, namely Cumbric and Gaelic, prevalent in our area of Dumfries and Galloway, or through the Germanic branch from which Old English, Middle English and ultimately Modern English are derived. We have tried to get an idea of how Middle English might have sounded by listening to a recital from a chivalric romance of the period. And tried to follow the meaning. Not so easy!
We have attempted to explore the sound-rooting of words across languages, how different languages and dialects in Britain interact with each other and how our language changes as a result.
Many in the group are particularly interested in the origins of place-names and words related to travel, often linked to other interests such as local history, maps and walking. We have visited the places of our younger selves and had a journey around the north Solway coast with detours up some of the rivers, south into Cumbria and inland to old monastic lands and to the hills of Galloway and Dumfriesshire. From our Celtic roots, we have learned that Penpont is Cumbric (pen meaning head and pont, borrowed from the Romans, meaning bridge), while nearby Moniaive is derived from Gaelic ( moine meaning moor and naomh meaning holy). It has been interesting to see how names have morphed over the years to become, in many cases, almost unrecognisable and devoid of their original meaning.
There’s room for new members so, if you’re interested, just contact Alverie. You would be most welcome. |