Words Don’t Mean What They Seem

We interpret words through their exoteric meaning, and not in their true definition of origin. English is a language enshrouded in mystery; much like the origins of the people who developed it.

The powers that be obfuscate history though the language in which its written down, so it’s up to us to dig ourselves out of this (w)hole of mental enslavement and rise above this subtle linguistic conditioning.

Simply put; words don’t mean what they seem, and aren’t seen as they’re meant. Do you know what I mean? Well, let me give you a few examples.

“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.” – Epictetus

Prestigious (adj.)

We commonly describe schools like Dartmouth, Harvard, Cornell and other Ivy League schools as very “prestigious”. But what does the term truly mean?

prestigious (adj.) 1540s, “practicing illusion or magic, deceptive,” from Latin praestigious “full of tricks,” from praestigiae “juggler’s tricks,” probably altered by dissimilation from praestrigiae, from praestringere “to blind, blindfold, dazzle,” from prae “before” (see pre-) + stringere “to tie or bind” (see strain (v.)). Derogatory until 19c.; meaning “having dazzling influence” is attested from 1913 (see prestige). Related: Prestigiously; prestigiousness.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/prestigious

Think about this next time your doctor proudly tells you he came from a prestigious university after you question his carcinogenic cancer ‘cure’.

Doctor (n.)

1590s, “to confer a degree on,” from doctor (n.). Meaning “to treat medically” is from 1712; sense of “alter, disguise, falsify” is from 1774.

(n) Meaning “holder of highest degree in university” is first found late 14c.; as is that of “medical professional” (replacing native leech (n.2))

https://www.etymonline.com/word/doctor

Leech (n.)

“physician” (obsolete, poetical, or archaic), from Old English læce “leech,” probably from Old Danish læke, from Proto-Germanic *lekjaz “enchanter, one who speaks magic words; healer, physician” (source also of Old Frisian letza, Old Saxon laki, Old Norse læknir, Old High German lahhi, Gothic lekeis “physician”), literally “one who counsels,” perhaps connected with a root found in Celtic (compare Irish liaig “charmer, exorcist, physician”) and Slavic (compare Serbo-Croatian lijekar, Polish lekarz), from PIE *lep-agi “conjurer,” from root *leg- (1) “to collect, gather,” with derivatives meaning “to speak (to ‘pick out words’).”

For sense development, compare Old Church Slavonic baliji “doctor,” originally “conjurer,” related to Serbo-Croatian bajati “enchant, conjure;” Old Church Slavonic vrači, Russian vrač “doctor,” related to Serbo-Croatian vrač “sorcerer, fortune-teller.” The form merged with leech (n.1) in Middle English, apparently by folk etymology. In early Middle English also of God and Christ; by 17c. the sense had so deteriorated leech typically was applied only to veterinary practitioners, and soon it was entirely archaic.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/leech

Pharmacy (n.)

late 14c., “a medicine,” from Old French farmacie “a purgative” (13c.), from Medieval Latin pharmacia, from Greek pharmakeia “use of drugs, medicines, potions, or spells; poisoning, witchcraft; remedy, cure,” from pharmakeus (fem. pharmakis) “preparer of drugs, poisoner, sorcerer” from pharmakon “drug, poison, philter, charm, spell, enchantment.” Meaning “use or administration of drugs” is attested from c. 1400; that of “place where drugs are prepared and dispensed” is first recorded 1833. The ph- was restored 16c. in French, 17c. in English (see ph).

https://www.etymonline.com/word/pharmacy

Danger (n.)

What may seem as a danger might perhaps be only a form on control. Don’t look at the man behind the curtain; it’s dangerous, you might get hurt!

mid-13c., “power of a lord or master, jurisdiction,” from Anglo-French daunger, Old French dangier “power, power to harm, mastery, authority, control” (12c., Modern French danger), alteration (due to assoc. with damnum) of dongier, from Vulgar Latin *dominarium “power of a lord,” from Latin dominus “lord, master,” from domus “house” (from PIE root *dem- “house, household”).

early 13c., “difficult, arrogant, severe” (the opposite of affable), from Anglo-French dangerous, Old French dangeros (12c., Modern French dangereux), from danger “power, power to harm, mastery, authority, control”

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=danger

This next one I hear daily. It’s become the new “cool” or “awesome!”

Nice (adj.)

late 13c., “foolish, stupid, senseless,” from Old French nice (12c.) “careless, clumsy; weak; poor, needy; simple, stupid, silly, foolish,” from Latin nescius “ignorant, unaware,” literally “not-knowing,” from ne- “not” (from PIE root *ne- “not”) + stem of scire “to know” (see science). “The sense development has been extraordinary, even for an adj.” [Weekley] — from “timid” (pre-1300); to “fussy, fastidious” (late 14c.); to “dainty, delicate” (c. 1400); to “precise, careful” (1500s, preserved in such terms as a nice distinction and nice and early); to “agreeable, delightful” (1769); to “kind, thoughtful” (1830).

nicely:

early 14c., “foolishly,” from nice + -ly (2). From c. 1600 as “scrupulously;” 1714 as “in an agreeable fashion.”

https://www.etymonline.com/word/nice

Think about this one next time you carelessly describe yourself as a ‘nice’ person. Don’t be foolish; you’ll just look ignorant and simple-minded.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/nice

Kind (n.)

“class, sort, variety,” from Old English gecynd “kind, nature, race,” related to cynn “family” (see kin), from Proto-Germanic *kundjaz “family, race,” from PIE root *gene- “give birth, beget,” with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=kind

Kind can means kid, not “nice” as we know it.   This is why it’s called kindergarten. We love our ‘kin’, or our family.  This brings us to the word nation which has more genetic ties than you might suspect.

Perhaps this is why all nations used to be of the same genome, and not the multicultural ‘nations’ we see today, especially the ones of Cacasoid descent.

Awful (adj.)

c. 1300, agheful “worthy of respect or fear, striking with awe; causing dread,” from aghe, an earlier form of awe (n.), + -ful. The Old English word was egefull. Weakened sense “very bad” is from 1809; weakened sense of “excessively, very great” is by 1818. It formerly was occasionally used in a sense “profoundly reverential” (1590s).

{The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom} – Proverbs 9:10

Nation (n.)

c. 1300, nacioun, “a race of people, large group of people with common ancestry and language,” from Old French nacion “birth, rank; descendants, relatives; country, homeland” (12c.) and directly from Latin nationem (nominative natio) “birth, origin; breed, stock, kind, species; race of people, tribe,” literally “that which has been born,” from natus, past participle of nasci “be born” (Old Latin gnasci), from PIE root *gene– “give birth, beget,” with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups.

https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=nation

Rock n Roll (n.)

The verbal phrase had been an African-American vernacular euphemism for “sexual intercourse,” used in popular dance music lyrics and song titles at least since the 1930s.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/rock%20and%20roll#etymonline_v_15144

Jazz (n.)

Swing (n.)

“..is a form of jazz that developed in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swing_music

“Sense of “engage in promiscuous sex” is from 1964″

https://www.etymonline.com/word/swing

https://www.etymonline.com/word/jazz#etymonline_v_1682

Adulterate (v.)

“debase by mixing with foreign or inferior material, make corrupt,” 1530s, back-formation from adulteration, or else from Latin adulteratus, past participle of adulterare “to falsify, corrupt,” also “to commit adultery.” An earlier verb was adulter (late 14c. in the sense “make impure”), directly from the Latin verb, but this English verb also carried the meaning “commit adultery.”

https://www.etymonline.com/word/adulterate#etymonline_v_26027

Left & Right

While ‘right‘ is generally considered as ‘morally-correct’,(think righteous), left, on the other hand (pun intended) has a deeper more sinister meaning.

Left literally means sinister, weak, foolish, worthless, twisted, and crooked.

Think about this when you are trying to decide which side of the political spectrum you fall.

Right = Dexter

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/sinister-left-dexter-right-history

dexter (adj. 1560s, “pertaining to or situated on the right hand,” from Latin dexter “on the right hand” (source also of French dextre, Spanish diestro, Italian destro), from PIE root *deks- “right, opposite of left; south.”
https://www.etymonline.com/word/Dexter#etymonline_v_30240

On the Right hand of the Father

In summary, right means good and left means evil.
https://www.openbible.info/topics/jesus_sitting_at_the_right_hand_of_the_father

Smart (v.)

Middle English smerten, “to cause pain, to suffer pain,” from Old English smeortan “be painful,” in reference to wounds, from Proto-Germanic *smarta- (source also of Middle Dutch smerten, Dutch smarten, Old High German smerzan, German schmerzen “to pain,” originally “to bite”). The Germanic word is perhaps cognate with Latin mordēre “to bite, bite into,” figuratively “to pain, cause hurt,” and both might be from an extended form of PIE root *mer- “to rub away, harm.” Usually of a lively, pungent, local pain. Related: Smarted; smarts; smarting.
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=smart

Check out: https://www.etymologynerd.com/blog