Top

I’m Mortgaged To Death!

Why does the word Mortgage have the word

death in it??? :shock:

Remember to vote for your teacher over at the Best Weekend Ever Website.

You can vote up to 5 times a day.

Comments

There Are 179 Comments for “I’m Mortgaged To Death!”

Your words...

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  1. robin643 on April 13th, 2008 8:43 pm

    A liitle “more” on “mortgage” (sorry, couldn’t resist) . . .

    You’re right: the mortgage is the pledge that secures a loan made by the mortgagee (the bank) to you (the mortgagor). As you make loan payments to the bank, the principal amount of the loan reduces, or “amortizes,” according to an “amortization” schedule. If your loan is set to amortize over 30 years, the amortization schedule allocates each monthly payment to a combination of principal (the amount that you actually borrowed) and interest (the amount that the bank is charging you for the money that you borrowed). The payments at the beginning of the amortization schedule are allocated almost entirely to interest, so that the principal amount of the loan stays outstanding longer (and the bank makes more money on your loan). When the loan is fully “amortized”—paid in full—then your obligation to the bank, and the mortgage that secured you obligation, have each expired. Perhaps they are laid to rest in the mortgage mortuary.

  2. chrisby280 on March 2nd, 2008 7:07 pm

    As you probably know, it’s curently Lent, which ends on Easter Sunday. Traditionally, (and for a reason unknown to me) we celebrate a giant rabbit that hides eggs and goodies for little children. I was wondering if you could find the origin of the Easter Bunny in honor of the upcoming holiday. Also, could you find the link that ties this massive egg hiding rabbit to the resurection of Jesus Christ? I’m really curious to find out where we got this odd tradition.

    Your newly devoted fan,
    Chrisby280

  3. marinas morris on February 20th, 2008 5:18 am

    Ahoy, Marina
    I have just come across a new mort- word, namely “mortsafe” which was apparently a metal cage fastened around coffins in the late 18th century in an effort to thwart the activities of grave robbers and body-snatchers.

    In a slightly mischievous vein, I would like to ask you to do a bit on “skulduggery” and whether it had anything to do with body-snatching (Digging up skulls and bones).

    Your devoted student
    Bob

  4. prospero811 on February 19th, 2008 11:24 am

    Hi Marina,

    Words that have the root “mort” in them include:

    immortal
    mortician
    mortify
    mortification
    immortalize
    immortality
    mortify
    amortization
    amortize

    The word “morgue” is probably based on the root “mort,” as is “morbid.”

    Interestingly, “mort” is itself a word meaning, “the note played on a hunting horn signifying that the animal hunted has been killed.”

    It also means, for some reason, “a three-year-old salmon” and “A great number or quantity.” Any idea where these differing meanings come from, o’ trusty Hot For Words?

    “Mort” is also a short form of the male given names “Mortimer” and “Morton.” I wonder if they are death-related names? Or perhaps salmon-related?

    As always, your lesson was fabulous.

    Eric

  5. clingenf on February 18th, 2008 1:11 pm

    The answer is MacGyver. It was over the top; he could make a bomb out of a paper clip and ball point pen.

    How about this phrase “Rube Goldberg” as in an complicated and elaborate mechanisms. What is the origin of the phrase?

  6. guysavage on February 18th, 2008 12:55 pm

    “Mortice” is another word with “Mort” in it. :???:

  7. trgoblin on February 18th, 2008 9:07 am

    “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
    It is the green-ey’d monster, which doth mock
    The meat it feeds on.”
    W.S.

  8. big t on February 18th, 2008 8:28 am

    Where does the word fortnight come from?? i know it means 2 weeks which is fourteen days, but surely then if it is a combination of 14 and nights surely it would be spelled fourtnight…

  9. steveaaf on February 17th, 2008 10:55 pm

    As I understand the history of the world, the human race began migrating out of north Africa sometime long ago (last week? :cool: ). I’m sure a lot of pointing and grunting was used to communicate back then. But as tools became more common for use, sound formation for those tools must have repeated regularly forming what would be called a word today.

    As I was recently reminded during the Superbowl (in a commercial, http://www.videosift.com/video/Bud-Light-Wheel-Suc k-superbowl-commercial ), the “wheel” was a pretty significant advancement in human history. How old exactly is that word? And where did it originate from?

  10. diek45 on February 17th, 2008 10:40 pm

    Marina, I simply adore you. Everything you do, absolutly amazing. Keep up the great work. Keep those words flowing, and promise me this one thing…keep smiling, your smile seems to make me forget all of my problems and shines a little light and my dark life.
    Your unyieldingly faithful student…
    -Brandon

  11. libertex on February 17th, 2008 9:44 pm

    I was reading a history of Scottish mercenaries and ran across a reference to Lord Duffus. After I finished laughing I checked the spelling to be sure. Where did the word “doofus” come from and could it be related to this Scottish clan or village?

    Thanks
    libertex

  12. 2shortdogs on February 17th, 2008 9:36 pm

    Hello Marina,

    I would like to know about the word “disgruntled”, I take it to mean un happy or unsatisfied, but then is “gruntled” a word? and if so, does it mean the opposite, in the same way as enchanted/disenchanted?

    Thank You
    -Scott

  13. barkatthemoon2007 on February 17th, 2008 7:26 pm

    hello marina! i want you to know that i´m a great fan of yours, i´from venezuela and i wanted to request a word to the next video. if its possible, the origin of the word “bordello”, i don´t know if you have seen the movie called “Tales from the crypt: bordello of blood” its an 80´s comedy, i´ve recived youre valentine´s card… just thanks

  14. stjopka on February 17th, 2008 5:58 pm

    Hello Marina !

    Please could you find out (I suppose not only for me) the origin of the word ” DRACONIAN ” ?

    Thank You

    Stjopka

  15. rockhead1990 on February 17th, 2008 5:32 pm

    You Should find the origin of the word “Dude”.

  16. amwrootbeer on February 17th, 2008 4:19 pm

    Marina,
    try this one when you get it its funny

    Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 4:29 pm:

    Fear of really large words, right amwrootbeer? I came across that one when I did my Sesquipedalian video :-)

  17. kallayr on February 17th, 2008 12:55 pm

    Hello Teacher!!

    I was wondering about the origin of the word SUN (as we call our star), and why is it called the SOLar system and nos SUNar system (in english at least, since in german the word is SONNE and in spanish the word is SOL, as the SOLar system)… weird

    best of luck

    K.

    barkatthemoon2007 replied on February 17th, 2008 7:31 pm:

    tienes razón, it is very interesting the origin of sun and solar system words. i hope teacher marina takes this one to th next video

  18. ivancassa on February 17th, 2008 12:50 pm

    Hello everyone,

    I was once told the area in London called Elephant and Castle was originally called, centuries ago, Isabela de Castilla who was the Queen of Castilla( Castilla is currently a region of Spain). It seems that people found it difficult to pronounce that name and started to gradually adapt it to English until it turned into Elephant and Castle….

    Can someone shed some light on this question?

    Thank you very much

    Iván

    errinf replied on February 17th, 2008 8:54 pm:

    I stayed in London a few years back, and was quite interested to see the location ‘Elephant & Castle’ on the subway map. But when I went there, there was no elephant or castle to be found. I remember feeling really let down. Your take on it might explain the complete absence of anything elephantine or castle-like in the area.

  19. shake123 on February 17th, 2008 12:23 pm

    hey one last request! howabout the word “enrage” it doesnt seem to come from anything! thanks for your great and informative videos!

  20. shake123 on February 17th, 2008 11:57 am

    hey marina i love your videos! ive got another word already! i was watching my favorite show the other day, and it got me thinking. what is the origin of the word ‘lost’. i know its a short word, but it is interesting. thanks!!

  21. shake123 on February 17th, 2008 11:56 am

    hey marina great video! i was wondering about the origin of the word paradox. its such a cool word with an interesting meaning, but what does it come from?

  22. jb6123b on February 17th, 2008 11:09 am

    I was wondering if you could tell me where the word demon comes from?Oh and great videos ,only if I had a teacher like you in highschool I probably woul’ve passed

  23. alleycat on February 17th, 2008 11:04 am

    How about the word Bamboozle where does it derive from :roll:

  24. alx on February 17th, 2008 9:43 am

    so be it, mon frère.

    salut.

  25. buzzword on February 17th, 2008 9:30 am

    “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” King James Version

    http://www.biblegateway.com/

    can I get an amen!

  26. errinf on February 17th, 2008 5:12 am

    My word request is that Marina explain her own eponym.

    I just don’t get it… her name is Marina, but she is from Russia. Isn’t marina a Spanish word? Are Spain and Russia known to have similar words in their respective languages? I’m no philologist, but I would assume the Russian language and the Spanish language do not share much at all when it comes to similar words

    And does it even qualify as an eponym to have your name mean something else in a different language? Perhaps I am confused…

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 7:24 am:

    errinf.. I think I explained my name origin in an earlier video… and the similarity in Spanish and Russian is because they both got their origin from Latin meaning “from the sea”.

    errinf replied on February 17th, 2008 1:19 pm:

    So that explains why Marina is so pretty… she’s a mermaid! lol Notice how cleverly she keeps her fishtail out of the camera’s range. : )

    Seriously, and with all due respect, Marina, if you have indeed done a video concerning the word that also functions as your name, then shouldn’t the word ‘marina’ be on your list of ‘words you’ve already done’? It is not, as I checked that list before making my request, as was the protocol your website put forth. If there is a ‘marina’ lesson out there in video form, then it might help if there was a link to it in your list of ‘words already requested and explained’.

    That all being said, I really appreciate your reply, and find it fascinating that the Russian language is influenced by some Latin after all. I was genuinely ignorant of that fact, thinking that Russian was not one of the ‘Romantic’ languages at all, and wouldn’t be even remotely influenced by Latin. Just goes to show who the real philologist is around here! : )

    On a secondary note, I’m curious if Marina is a one-word name like Cher or Prince. Do you not have a last name, or are you merely withholding that for privacy reasons? No need to answer if this delves too much in your personal life, as that is not my intention at all.

    And lastly, thanks for disproving the false dichotomy that a woman can’t be intelligent, educated, beautiful, and sexy at the same time, Marina. I don’t think people quite get that about your presentation style. The world is so much more complex than the simplistic stereotypes people adopt about each other.

    alx replied on February 17th, 2008 1:45 pm:

    her name.

    russian is a slavic language and does not descent from latin / italic.
    it’s not a romanic language at all.

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 2:00 pm:

    Check the word list now.. I basically only mention it briefly.. but it’s there :-)

    hitman replied on February 17th, 2008 3:39 pm:

    In additon we don’t use the same alphabet than romanic languages.We (russians) use an alphabet based on Cyrillic alphabet with variants, in the other hand romanic languages use the latin alphabet, and its is different but we have characters in common but they don’t sound equally

    errinf replied on February 17th, 2008 8:50 pm:

    Hey thanks for the explanations. And thanks for providing the link in the ‘words already done’ list.

    What I’ve learned is that Marina is a Martian mermaid… that or she is a Russian woman with a Latin-based name. I was confused a little by the fact that marina is not a Russian word, and therefore is not an example of Latin/Romantic influence on the Russian language

    I think I also was confused about the definition of an eponym. Seems that Marina’s name would be the opposite of an eponym… instead of being a common word whose origin comes from a person’s name, this seems to be the case of a person’s name having their origin from a common word. Is there a word for such a thing as the inverse of an eponym? Because that’s what I was trying to get at, only I messed up by improperly using the word ‘eponym’.

    Thanks again for the prompt replies. I just found this website randomly via youtube, and find it quite fascinating in a somewhat bizarre/surreal way, especially in how unexpectedly informative it is. Real cool too to have such a skilled and friendly philologist at hand to answer questions. And I bet she really kicks ass at Scrabble, Boggle, or any other word game. I know I’d be afraid to go up against her. : ) lol

  27. maxmayer on February 17th, 2008 2:30 am

    USUALLY I HEAR FROM GIRLS: “HEY HANDSOME, HOW ARE U?”

    WHAT DOES IT MEAN “HANDSOME”?

    ;)

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 6:42 am:

    cute maxmayer :-)

    maxmayer replied on February 17th, 2008 7:07 am:

    I NEED TO KNOW ANSWER :!:

    buzzword replied on February 17th, 2008 9:32 am:

    cute comment Marina.

  28. marinas morris on February 17th, 2008 2:28 am

    Ahoy there, Marina
    Could you please investigate the word “repartee”? I don’t quite get how it went from meaning “dishing out rations” to “coming back with a quick and witty reply”.
    And if it provokes another edition of the “Buzzword and Alx Show” so much the better. :smile:

    Your devoted student
    Bob

    buzzword replied on February 17th, 2008 9:03 am:

    En garde, Mon ami!

    “Repartee” is French in origin relating to “repartir” meaning a quick reply and “repartie” and responding attack. Both are fencing terms. There are many French terms used in fencing that are also common to the English language. Including the word “conversation” or in French, “conversation” meaning, “The back-and-forth play of blades in a fencing match, composed of phrases, punctuated by gaps of no blade action.” Which most eloquently describes the posts on HotForWords. That would be make Marina the referee or arbitre. For more fencing terms and definitions I would encourage you to visit, http://www.synec-doc.be/escrime/dico/engl.htm

    adieu

    alx replied on February 17th, 2008 11:03 am:

    > “The back-and-forth play of blades
    > in a fencing match, composed of phrases,
    > punctuated by gaps of no blade action.”

    j’ai toujours aimé “monkey island”, un jeu sur ordinateur. guybrush threepwood rocks.

    marinas morris replied on February 17th, 2008 11:28 am:

    “The back-and-forth play of blades”
    That’s what I was referring to by “The Buzzword and Alx Show” :roll:

    buzzword replied on February 17th, 2008 6:37 pm:

    alx, you smahtazz! Ah weal steady thee skealze ov thease guybrush threepwood ahnd thien chowlenge u to eh dool. Thaught weal teach u to naught peaze mhe ahf! Hauh Hauh!

    bhoozewhaurd

    alx replied on February 18th, 2008 7:56 am:

    you think so? haha.

  29. marinas morris on February 17th, 2008 2:28 am

    Ahoy there, Marina
    Could you please investigate the word “repartee”? I don’t quite get how it went from meaning “dishing out rations” to “coming back with a quick and witty reply”.
    And if it provokes another edition of the “Buzzword and Alx Show” so much the better. :smile:

    marinas morris replied on February 17th, 2008 2:29 am:

    What happened there?

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 6:42 am:

    Why the double post Bob? Did you get an error? Just checking, as there were some errors yesterday.

    alx replied on February 17th, 2008 9:45 am:

    Marina,

    sometimes the reply thing doesn’t work, I think. sometimes it appears as a new post.

    marinas morris replied on February 17th, 2008 11:25 am:

    Computer error? No
    Operator error? Yes :oops: Sorry
    Great way to get your attention though; I must remember that :wink:

    OXO
    Bob

  30. marinas morris on February 17th, 2008 2:20 am

    Well said, gypsysoul,

    To which I would add… Matthew Chapter 7, verse 1

    Bob

  31. ninjaclown on February 17th, 2008 1:58 am

    Hello Teacher!

    Could you kindly please do the phrase “Kick a guy in the balls!”.

    It confuses me!

    Thanks!

    Ninja Clown

  32. theunexpected on February 17th, 2008 1:16 am

    Nice. Can you do one fore the word “Crimson “?

  33. minakoku on February 16th, 2008 11:25 pm

    Hi HotForWords, I’m doing a project on the word melancholy. I was wondering if you could tell me the origin of it. I really enjoy your videos and I have learned a lot from them. So if you get a chance could you please consider my word. Thank you and keep up the good work!

  34. gypsysoul on February 16th, 2008 11:18 pm

    why be such a bore, if you dont like it then go somewhere else.

  35. gypsysoul on February 16th, 2008 11:16 pm

    just wondering what the origin of the word “marina” is? just kidding, but I am curious to know the origin of the word “dude”. thank you and I enjoy your lessons.

  36. buzzword on February 16th, 2008 7:40 pm

    Marina,

    Just got a, “Not Found, Error 404″ message. I emailed it to you.

    buzzword

    Marina replied on February 16th, 2008 8:15 pm:

    what link? what did you click on to get it?

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 8:28 pm:

    I didn’t do anything. alx did it!

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 8:35 pm:

    yes, I did! and justifiably so!

  37. buzzword on February 16th, 2008 7:24 pm

    smart ass! Hey, smart ass, smart aleck, alexander, alex, alx. Hmm.

    buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 7:46 pm:

    hehe. I was waiting for that one.

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 7:57 pm:

    Just searched and the origin of smart aleck is traced back to the misadventures of a pimp.

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 8:08 pm:

    “smart alex” is an album by “the adicts”. british punk rock. yay. :)

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 8:26 pm:

    I haven’t listened to the adicts in… god I’m old.

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 8:28 pm:

    so, how old are you then?

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 8:32 pm:

    I’m 37, but I’m getting sexier as I age.

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 8:38 pm:

    oh, the wine thing? no way.

    humans are like wine nonetheless. like wine, leather, and cheese — they have to breathe.

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 8:40 pm:

    Yes, I agree with you completely. Humans have to breathe.

  38. buzzword on February 16th, 2008 6:58 pm

    The word, “smart ass” isn’t that a contradiction?

    buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 7:01 pm:

    “oxymoron”. :X

  39. garlnx on February 16th, 2008 6:48 pm

    Mortar has the word “mort” in it!
    Mortar as in the concrete stuff they use to lay bricks.

    your trusty student
    garlnx

  40. rohill on February 16th, 2008 1:41 pm

    What is the origin of the word “osmosis”? My middle name is “Osmo” (my grandparents came from Finland and named my dad Osmo). Can you help me? Richard Osmo Hill (rohill)

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 2:11 pm:

    Yes, add a “c” to the beginning and become Cosmo. Which means, of or relating to the universe. Which you are, and it includes Finland and everything else.

    buzzword

  41. alx on February 16th, 2008 12:55 pm

    german.

    kind = child, garten = garden.

  42. killerkung-fu kitties on February 16th, 2008 11:59 am

    Where does the word kindergarten come from…?

    Sincerely,
    K.K.K.(Killer Kung-Fu Kitties)

  43. mello-g37 on February 16th, 2008 11:41 am

    I never had a Mortgage …well i had it for a few weeks then i paid it off……And i am still alive !!

    MELLO……MELLOW……the word is a cool word to use calm…happy..word……. :grin: Also MELT beacuse Sounds a power full word …also a loveing word like……you melt my heart ….Choclate melting……..drooool…… :wink:

    Marina replied on February 17th, 2008 2:36 pm:

    mello-g37… I’ve asked people to ask for word origins in my comments.. so don’t answer their questions.. that way can do a video on them. If you answer them.. then it takes all the fun out of the process, right? (I appreciate the enthusiasm though!!)

  44. shane on February 16th, 2008 11:35 am

    Oh, one more…

    What does ‘Whole Nine Yards’ refer to? It seems to indicate ALL of something, but I cannot figure out what 9 yards would be all of.

    I’m guessing it’s not american football, because that would be the whole ten yards. So where does the expression come from?

    Thank you,

    Shane

    mello-g37 replied on February 16th, 2008 11:49 am:

    The origin of the phrase is not known.

    One of the most common explanations is that it dates from the Second World War, where “nine yards” was the length of an aircraft machine-gun ammunition belt, and to “go the full nine yards” was to use it up entirely. However, machine-gun ammunition belts were not nine yards long, and the expression has been reliably dated back only to early 1964, in U.S. Space Program slang.
    It was also apparently popular among Air Force personnel in Vietnam. By November 1967 it was recorded in use in the U.S. Army, likewise from Vietnam, and by mid-1969 was appearing in newspaper advertisements in the United States. The first citation in the Oxford English Dictionary is from 1970, in the magazine Word Watching.
    It has been suggested that there is strong circumstantial evidence it was not in general use in 1961, as Ralph Boston set a world record for the long jump that year at 27 feet, or nine yards, but no news report has been found that made any reference to the term, suggesting that journalists were unaware of it or did not regard it as common enough to use as a pun.

    Of course, popular etymology has risen to the challenge; a vast number of explanations have been put forward to explain the purported origins of the term. Suggested sources have been as diverse as the volume of graves or concrete mixers; the length of bridal veils, kilts, burial shrouds, bolts of cloth, or saris; American football; ritual disembowelment; and the structure of certain sailing vessels. Little documentary evidence has ever surfaced supporting any of these, and many labour under the significant disadvantage of being several centuries earlier than the first recorded use of the term.

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 1:39 pm:

    uh. dude? could you at least cite wikipedia as your source?

    sry, but it’s impolite to just copy and paste stuff that was written by someone else without giving them the credits.

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 2:06 pm:

    The word of the day is, “Plagiarize”. Plagiarism is the practice of claiming or implying original authorship of (or incorporating material from) someone else’s written or creative work, in whole or in part, into one’s own without adequate acknowledgement. Unlike cases of forgery, in which the authenticity of the writing, document, or some other kind of object itself is in question, plagiarism is concerned with the issue of false attribution.

    written by buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 2:11 pm:

    duh.

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 2:18 pm:

    You know alx, I knew you would check. This speaks volumes about you. lol

    buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 2:22 pm:

    it does? what does that tell you about me?

    thing is, you can almost always tell if someone just copied it.

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 6:41 pm:

    Your conduct indicates to me that you expect people to responsibly maintain the principles and codes that give structure to society and directs behavior. At the same time you anticipate that people will ignore these rules of conduct when it serves their own selfish desires, risking what little cohesion there is that binds us together against chaos and ruin. Which means you are an incredibly unhappy fellow who kicks sleeping puppies and trips children at play in an attempt to awaken a sleeping god who will bring about judgement upon humankind and restore order in the universe and silence your pain.

    That or I’m really transparent, but I prefer the one where your incredibly miserable and listening to the Einstürzende Neubauten Kollaps album over and over again.

    hugs and kisses
    buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 6:48 pm:

    lol. no. try again.

  45. shane on February 16th, 2008 11:32 am

    Marina,

    I was recently watching some of the election coverage, and there is a lot of references to ‘Uncle Sam’. The term refers to the government, but why? Was there really someone’s uncle named Sam that was in the government, or does it refer to something else?

    Shane

    mello-g37 replied on February 16th, 2008 11:54 am:

    Uncle Sam is a national personification of the United States, with the first usage of the term dating from the War of 1812 and the first illustration dating from 1852. He is often depicted as a serious elderly man with white hair and a goatee, with an obvious resemblance to President Andrew Jackson, and dressed in clothing that recalls the design elements of the flag of the United States—for example, typically a top hat with red and white stripes and white stars on a blue band, and red and white striped trousers.

    In addition to the appearance of Uncle Sam in politics, the character has also appeared as a comic book hero for Quality and then DC Comics. He is presented as the living embodiment of the United States and is the leader of the Freedom Fighters. See Uncle Sam (comics). There was also a short cartoon in the 1980s called “Uncle Sam’s Adventures.”

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 7:02 pm:

    mello-g37,

    In public, when people ask you a question do you answer it by ripping a page out of a book, licking it and slapping it on their foreheads?

    buzzword

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 7:05 pm:

    buzzword, this comment speaks volumes about you. :P

    (don’t ask, I’ll just copy your comment below if you do. ;))

    buzzword replied on February 16th, 2008 8:02 pm:

    alx,

    If I asked, would you appropriately cite me as the source?

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 8:10 pm:

    that’s a tough one. but I probably would. :)

    you know, being fair and all …

  46. pooopak on February 16th, 2008 11:10 am

    Hello Ahoy Marina,

    Here are the words:
    Martyr, Morder, Murder, Mordent ( I think dying tones in Musics), …
    Are they all originated from another Indo-european word “Mordan = to die”?

    P.S: Marinagage is not marriage :shock:

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 12:48 pm:

    the reconstructed ie root of “to die” is ” *mer-”.
    “mordan” seems to be persian, which, sure enough, is of ie origin.

    indo-european > indo-iranian > iranian > western iranian > southwest western iranian > persian.

    see here.

    pooopak replied on February 17th, 2008 10:50 am:

    Yes. tanx Alex.

    The word “Mer” is the correct root. But, do we have the word “mer” today anywhere?

    alx replied on February 17th, 2008 11:18 am:

    yes, we do. in french, “mer” means “ocean”. but this is not what we’re looking for, I guess.

    ie is reconstructed anyway. it’s kinda difficult. they basically took word roots from languages that descended from ie, and sort of determined the average. I don’t know. it’s not like we have any substantial evidence that ” *mer-” and other words/roots really existed. (the * in front of the word means “reconstructed” in historical linguistics; in modern (general) linguistics (which doesn’t care about history) it means “ungrammatical”.)

  47. saliah on February 16th, 2008 10:35 am

    hi..i love all ur videos :-)

    my word is Gothic.

  48. giantjoebot on February 16th, 2008 10:19 am

    I was wondering what the origin of the word Retarded or Retard. Doesn’t the Re part mean to have done something a second time. Like revisited or redo. Like the sentence, “we are redoing our kitchen”, or “I screwed up so I have to redo it”. If thats the case does tard mean something by itself.

  49. wurdlvr on February 16th, 2008 6:38 am

    First, a belated Happy Valentines and 100th Video to you Marina. How about;

    • Mortadella
    • Mortier
    • Mortatboard
    • And Morton Downey Jr ; ‘ )

  50. hurcules4444 on February 16th, 2008 5:54 am

    marina my hot teacher! i have a question-> can you plz do a video on how to understand women? plz and thankyou! mmuuaahhh

  51. marinas morris on February 16th, 2008 4:48 am

    Ahoy, Marina

    I would like you to talk about words which seem to be related but are not; for example, the list of words with the root “mort” might contain “mortice” which looks as though it is related to death but instead comes, if I understand correctly, from an Arabic root “murtazz” meaning fixed in, rather than the Latin root which you mentioned in the video.
    Another example, “incision” and “excision” are obviously related meaning cutting into and cutting out, but is “decision” also related? And how does “decision” relate to certain types of tree?
    I hope you will make a decision to investigate :grin:
    These sort of words represent traps for the unwary and can lead to “malapropisms”, another good word to investigate and a rich source for people who enjoy making puns.

    Your devoted student
    Bob

  52. lakeboysc on February 16th, 2008 3:49 am

    I would like to know from where the phrase, “You can talk the talk; but can you walk the walk?” came.

  53. ags429 on February 16th, 2008 12:49 am

    Hello Marina,

    Here are some words that begin with ” Mort “….

    Mortality, Mortally, Mortician, Mortient, Mortiferous, Mortification, Mortific, Mortified, Mortify, Mortinality, Mortisemblant….

    Home work complete ( I hope ).

    Ags429

  54. cobra on February 16th, 2008 12:45 am

    i want to know where did the word ENGLISH came from.who said it the first time and why was it english :?: :grin: :?:

    mello-g37 replied on February 16th, 2008 12:01 pm:

    English is a West Germanic language originating mainly in England, and is the first language for most people in the Anglophone Caribbean, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States (sometimes referred to as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially in Commonwealth countries and in many international organisations.

    A working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations. As a result, over a billion people speak English at least at a basic level (see English language learning and teaching). English is one of six official languages of the United Nations.

    alx replied on February 16th, 2008 1:24 pm:

    yes. but where did the word “english” come from? ;)

    link.

    big t replied on February 16th, 2008 5:47 pm:

    English is an Anglo-Frisian language. Germanic-speaking peoples from northwest Germany (Saxons and Angles) and Jutland (Jutes) invaded what is now known as Eastern England around the fifth century AD. It is a matter of debate whether the Old English language spread by displacement of the original population, or the native Celts gradually adopted the language and culture of a new ruling class, or a combination of both of these processes. England became a unified state during the 10th century and takes its name from the Angles. England is named after the Angles, the largest of the Germanic tribes who settled in England in the 5th and 6th centuries, and who are believed to have originated in the peninsula of Angeln, in what is now Denmark and northern Germany.The early 8th century historian Bede, in his Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (Ecclesiastical History of the English People), refers to the English people as Angelfolc According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known usage of “England” referring to the southern part of the island of Great Britain was in 897, with the modern spelling first used in 1538. The word English means those of England.

  55. cheeksm on February 16th, 2008 12:16 am

    mmm what abut the word “stoked”. like im stoked on music or video games. :shock: :mrgreen:

  56. labbatt78 on February 16th, 2008 12:15 am

    because the root word mort means to die just like the other word mortal

  57. morton on February 15th, 2008 10:37 pm

    Please explain the 0rigin of the word inspiration.

  58. el professor on February 15th, 2008 10:28 pm

    Amortize.

    Someone above asked about “apple of his eye.” The phrase occurs in the King James version of the Bible, possibly earlier, but is a translation of the Hebrew expression “iyshon ayno,” “little man of his eye.” If you get really really close to a person and look directly into her eye you will see a little man in the pupil, a reflection of yourself. So the apple of your eye is the pupil of your eye.

  59. carpainter on February 15th, 2008 7:58 pm

    whatever you do next is fine with me , have to watch you everyday now !

  60. celsofritzen on February 15th, 2008 7:33 pm

    Where are the MISTAKES???
    they’re very funny and make of you even more charmimg (is is that possible!!!!! ;)
    Kisses

    celsofritzen replied on February 15th, 2008 7:39 pm:

    talking about mistakes….
    I’ve just mistyped…. I meant:
    “IF is that possible”
    sorry….

  61. nighteye on February 15th, 2008 7:23 pm

    Too many suggestions with mort in it already - so I have something different:

    The word “still” - it can have many different meanings these days. A baby can be stillborn, but you can also order still water, and whiskey is also made using a still. But it can also be still when there’s no sound, and it can also refer to the flow of time - I’m still discombobulated about this word, can you help me out, Marina?

    Also, I noticed that after all these wonderful explanations about the origins of words, you haven’t explained the origin of explanation yet.

    big t replied on February 16th, 2008 5:31 pm:

    Whiskey and other alcohol is brewed in a Stihl not a still

    nighteye replied on February 17th, 2008 7:32 am:

    No, it is brewn in a still - I’ve been to several distilleries in Scotland that make whiskey, and they all call it a still. Even wikipedia agrees:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still

    big t replied on February 17th, 2008 2:14 pm:

    i suggest you look in the oxford english dictionary… I know a Distillery has still in it but a stihl is what is used to brew spirits in like whisky vodka and the good old irish potchin…

    nighteye replied on February 17th, 2008 2:26 pm:

    I suggest you go visit the actual distilleries, you’ll see it spell “still” everywhere as they explain how whiskey is made.

    Auchentoshan, for example: http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/auchentos han.htm

    Or Glen Grant:
    http://www.scotchwhisky.net/distilleries/glen_gran t.htm

    I visited more than 12, and they all spell it “still”, not “stihl”.

    alx replied on February 17th, 2008 2:30 pm:

    OED? no results.

    merriam webster? no results.

    so it seems to be “still”.

    mickey_dougal replied on February 17th, 2008 9:11 pm:

    :roll: It is a “still” because it happens at a diSTILLery. “Stihl” is a brand of chainsaw.

  62. tricovictus on February 15th, 2008 7:06 pm

    Dear teacher, first i want to thank you, your fabulous card, Then i was thinking on the word mortify; and least i was sawing a show, a comic show, they said something about “chikenpox” and i’m wondering where came from the word “chikenpox”.

  63. randy on February 15th, 2008 6:56 pm

    mortimer, mortise, mortar
    I like the idea of researching Hacker particularly because it seems to have picked up a negative connotation among the general public. The mass media has used Hacker in lieu of Cracker… as in “safe cracker” for someone who breaks into a site. I say, “Hacking is Helpful, Cracking is Criminal”. You’re doing marvelous Marina!

  64. carpenderant on February 15th, 2008 6:46 pm

    MORTALITY, MORTUARY,MORBID,MORTAR. ALL SEEM TO APPLY TO DEATH EXCEPT MORTAR. HOW ABOUT THAT! BY MORTAR I AM REFFERING TO CONCRETE AND BRICKS.

    THANK YOU !
    CARPENDERANT.

  65. mikul15922 on February 15th, 2008 6:43 pm

    the phrase “cat got your tounge”

  66. mikul15922 on February 15th, 2008 6:41 pm

    you still haven’t done words starting with U i dont think how about upholstery, or utilitarian

  67. karlsn on February 15th, 2008 6:31 pm

    So far it seems the two list makers (teachers pets, wait in this case that would be a good thing) have neglected to include the word -mortician in their lists.

    I would like to suggest the phrase-”apple of my eye” for our dear teacher, it has a link to the above lesson, and of course there is the whole apple/teacher thing, and I’m sure most, if not all of us would have no qualms with saying “Marina is the apple of my eye”. :wink:

    marinas morris replied on February 16th, 2008 4:49 am:

    Teacher’s pet?
    Oh! I wish!

    I HAVE a DREAM……

  68. mikul15922 on February 15th, 2008 6:29 pm

    How About:
    KnickKnack, ZigZag, repossess, flibbertigibbet, razzle dazzle, dunder head, assess, sassy, orgasm

  69. badboy on February 15th, 2008 6:08 pm

    Mortality
    Mortar
    mortinatality
    mortise joint
    mortice
    mortlaiocht
    mortas

    mikul15922 replied on February 15th, 2008 6:53 pm:

    immortal
    mortify
    mortified
    mortician

  70. buzzword on February 15th, 2008 5:56 pm

    Marina,

    With the amount of press and site traffic you have been getting have you considered turning out some HotForWords or Philology oriented t-shirts, caps, mugs to sell. You could make some cash. You can work with sites like cafepress.com or any other to design and make them available. Promote your site, yourself, Philology and make a profit.

    buzzword

    Marina replied on February 15th, 2008 5:58 pm:

    I looked at the calendars on cafepress.. but they are expensive… don’t know where else I could get calendars made up. I don’t want people to have to pay an arm and a leg for one!

    alx replied on February 15th, 2008 6:04 pm:

    капитализм. :/

    alx replied on February 15th, 2008 6:06 pm:

    yeah, she’s right. those things are expensive.
    mugs, t-shirts … we’re trying to do that too …

    buzzword replied on February 15th, 2008 6:29 pm:

    Marina,

    Hmm, the base price for a calendar doesn’t seem too bad. If I understand the pricing correctly. You would be surprised at what your public would be willing to pay to ensure your continued presence and success. The problem with calendars is that they stay inside peoples homes. T-shirts would get people to become walking billboards for you. Marketing you and your passion. Passion as in Philology. I’m stuck with a degree with little street value. I’ve been working on a children’s books dealing with Anthropology and multiculturalism. If I can get people to value my passion then maybe I can create a profession. Thanks for keeping the lol in Philology!

    buzzword