One of my favorite sites is https://etymonline.com – it adds so much nerd-joy to my life! Recently subscribed to support them, and now I wanna see if they're open to making a .ZIM file for #Kiwix 🤔
Saw this fun exchange today and [linguistics ramble loading...]
// Edited to link the EOL entry for "griffin" (to which "griffon" and "gryphon" are linked as alternatives): https://www.etymonline.com/word/griffin
There's more surprising history in there too!
Anyways, my guess is it has to do with being an infrequently-used word (for most of us) which entered English before orthography was standardized so much.
I'm a big fan of doublets – where the same word is imported multiple times, sometimes with v different meanings, sometimes quite similar (like "warden" & "guardian"): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doublet_(linguistics)
In language learning, I love the surprise overlaps that teach you more about the words you already know.
Like how "parable" and "parabola" are the same word in Spanish! And French "travailler" links English "movement" and "challenges" to Spanish "work".
The inter-connections add so much dimension, and reveal the depth of history: like the vast influence of Arabic, coming from ancient scientists & the Umayyad Caliphate in Iberia. Alchemy! ✨
Another fun English fact: "a napron" -> "an apron"
A bunch of words used to have Ns on the front, but were misinterpreted over time! The same thing happened in the other direction, too. Lots of examples (and related phenomena) here: https://www.etymonline.com/word/N
I had to look this one up because apron is "tablier" in french, and "naperon" is napkin, but it seems "apron" did indeed derive from "naperon". Neat!
Possibly my favourite doublet is my friend Guillaume who has a son named WIlliam - they are technically the same name, but also not.
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