Word Origins Unmasked

Literature · 20 questions

The surprising back-stories hiding inside words you use every day.

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1. The word 'muscle' comes from a Latin word meaning what?

   1. Tight rope
   2. Coiled spring
   3. Little mouse
   4. Strong arm
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   C) Little mouse

2. 'Disaster' literally described what, in its original sense?

   1. A broken dam
   2. An ill-starred event
   3. A ruined harvest
   4. A collapsed roof
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   B) An ill-starred event

3. The word 'clue' originally referred to which object?

   1. A ball of thread
   2. A brass key
   3. A carved token
   4. A wax seal
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   A) A ball of thread

4. 'Companion' is built from Latin words meaning 'with' and what?

   1. Road
   2. Sword
   3. House
   4. Bread
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   D) Bread

5. 'Malaria' got its name because people once blamed the disease on what?

   1. Bad air
   2. Dirty water
   3. Cold nights
   4. Spoiled grain
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   A) Bad air

6. A 'sarcophagus' is named from Greek words describing a stone that supposedly did what?

   1. Never cracked
   2. Held in heat
   3. Consumed flesh
   4. Repelled water
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   C) Consumed flesh

7. 'Sinister' comes from the Latin word for which direction or side?

   1. Behind
   2. Left
   3. Below
   4. Backward
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   B) Left

8. A Roman 'candidatus' was so called because of what?

   1. The oath he swore
   2. The tribe he led
   3. The fee he paid
   4. The white robe he wore
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   D) The white robe he wore

9. In the word 'nightmare', what did the 'mare' part originally mean?

   1. A female horse
   2. A dark sea
   3. A long night
   4. An evil spirit
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   D) An evil spirit

10. The word 'silly' has drifted a long way. What did it once mean?

    1. Loud and rude
    2. Small and weak
    3. Blessed and happy
    4. Slow and heavy
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    C) Blessed and happy

11. 'Quarantine' is derived from a word for which number?

    1. Forty
    2. Seven
    3. Ten
    4. A hundred
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    A) Forty

12. The Czech word 'robota', which gave us 'robot', means what?

    1. Iron man
    2. Forced hard labour
    3. Obedient servant
    4. Thinking machine
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    B) Forced hard labour

13. 'Nostalgia' combines the Greek for 'homecoming' with the Greek for what?

    1. Journey
    2. Pain
    3. Memory
    4. Sleep
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    B) Pain

14. The bird English calls a 'turkey' is actually native to which region?

    1. North America
    2. South Asia
    3. West Africa
    4. Southern Europe
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    A) North America

15. Across the world's languages, tea is called either 'cha' or 'te' depending on whether it arrived overland or by sea.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

16. 'Utopia' was coined from Greek roots meaning 'no place', not 'perfect place'.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

17. The 'ham' in 'hamburger' refers to the meat originally used in it.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False

18. The word 'salary' traces back to the Latin word for salt.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

19. 'Dinosaur' was coined from Greek roots meaning 'terrible lizard'.

    1. True
    2. False
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    A) True

20. 'Panic' is named after a Greek philosopher who wrote about sudden fear.

    1. True
    2. False
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    B) False