folk etymology Synonyms
No Synonyms and anytonyms found
folk etymology Meaning
Wordnet
folk etymology (n)
a popular but erroneous etymology
folk etymology Sentence Examples
- The term "dog days of summer" is a folk etymology derived from the belief that the hottest days of the year coincide with the appearance of the dog star, Sirius.
- The word "gypsy" is a folk etymology resulting from the mistaken belief that the nomadic people originated in Egypt.
- "Simon says" is a children's game whose name is a folk etymology based on the mistaken notion that the game was invented by a man named Simon.
- The word "nightmare" is a folk etymology stemming from the belief that bad dreams were caused by a weight or creature sitting on one's chest.
- "Apricot" is a folk etymology derived from the Spanish word "albaricoque," which was itself influenced by the Arabic word "al-barquq."
- The term "bulldog" is a folk etymology based on the erroneous belief that the breed was originally used to bait bulls.
- The word "curfew" is a folk etymology derived from the French phrase "couvrefeu," meaning "cover fire," which referred to the nightly extinguishing of fires to prevent fires from spreading.
- "Cockroach" is a folk etymology derived from the Spanish word "cucaracha," which was influenced by the belief that the insects lived in kitchens.
- The term "volleyball" is a folk etymology based on the mistaken belief that the game was invented as a substitute for basketball.
- The word "strawberry" is a folk etymology stemming from the appearance of the fruit, which resembles a bed of straw.
FAQs About the word folk etymology
a popular but erroneous etymology
No synonyms found.
No antonyms found.
The term "dog days of summer" is a folk etymology derived from the belief that the hottest days of the year coincide with the appearance of the dog star, Sirius.
The word "gypsy" is a folk etymology resulting from the mistaken belief that the nomadic people originated in Egypt.
"Simon says" is a children's game whose name is a folk etymology based on the mistaken notion that the game was invented by a man named Simon.
The word "nightmare" is a folk etymology stemming from the belief that bad dreams were caused by a weight or creature sitting on one's chest.
