English words and their meaning

English is my native tongue, but really, I stand outside it, just looking in.  I use its words, I know what the sounds mean in today's world, but in fact, they are mysteries to me, especially their origins.

Leafing through the Oxford Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, I happen upon "pall-mall".  This is where our shopping "mall" comes from, but what it means has nothing at all to do with shops.  Pall = ball; and mall = mallet.  They were used in a game of the same name in which a ball is driven through an iron ring.  Hence, the name of the London alley where this game was played became known as Pall Mall.  From there, a mall became a shaded walk and a shopping complex.  The disconnect from its roots is now complete.

My own name, Gaye (or Gay), has also changed its meaning through the centuries.  Once meaning merry or brightly-coloured, in the 17th century it meant dissolute, dissipated, and was often used to describe a prostitute or "fast" woman.  More recently, it is both noun and adjective, referring to male homosexuality.

Originally, an epicure was a glutton, whereas today it describes someone of refined taste in food and wine.  "Nice" comes from the Latin root for ignorant and originally meant "foolish".  "Pretty" meant "crafty; wily", coming from the West Germanic "pratt" meaning trick.

So many words have travelled far from their roots.  Here are some more original meanings:

display = unfold

generous = nobly born

hussy = housewife

jest = deed

minister = servant

minx = pet dog

quaint = skilled, clever

startle = kick, struggle

uncanny = malicious

uncouth = unknown, unfamiliar

undaunted - untamed

vibrant = agitated

wistful = closely attentive

So, if someone says:

"She was a generous hussy, quaint and wistful in household ways, without uncanny jests, her minx by her feet, she became vibrant when confronted with the uncouth."

... what they are actually saying is:

"She was a well-born housewife, skilled and closely attentive in household ways, without malicious deeds, her pet dog by her feet, she became agitated when confronted with the unfamiliar."