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Citation Station: History of a Word

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    • CommentAuthorjedi_tales
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007 edited
     

    According to Oxford scholars, the word "plague", meaning "any widespread affliction, calamity, or evil, esp. one regarded as a direct punishment by a god", is derived from the French word "plage" meaning "beach" because the the first English recordings of a plague was in 1260 when millions of Spider Crabs over ran 94% of the English coastline.

  2.  

    If I may correct one who lived long long ago in a galaxy far far away, the word 'plague' actually stems from Biblical times, in Egypt. Although I will not attempt to reproduce the heiroglyphic notation of the word, the oral pronunciation was very similar to the French word you refer to. Indeed, one can still hear the word often used by the rug merchants of Cairo, when they are referring to the vermin who often infest their wares. The word was without a doubt applied to the horde of locusts upon their well-documented arrival several millenia ago, and the etymology carried on in what we know today as the Torah.

    •  
      CommentAuthorPiggie8
    • CommentTimeNov 8th 2007 edited
     

    LOL! I love to think of all these stupid crabs invading the shore. The image in my head is just hilarious!

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      CommentAuthorFact totum
    • CommentTimeNov 9th 2007
     

    The Babylonian Times was the first newspaper to use the word "plague"? Is that a daily or a weekly?

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      CommentAuthorPaulustrious
    • CommentTimeNov 9th 2007 edited
     

    Actually, FT it pre-dates that. Scholars believe it was rooted in Sumerian. It appears to have originated in Shuruppak. This ancient town suffered from floods, but in one particular year the floods caused a plague of the European Rat that caused immense damage to the grain stores. This catastrophe was called something like 'play-gyuh' and was handed down by word of mouth until it took up something like its current meaning in Babylonian times.

    Edit: Whoops ... changed ED to FT

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      CommentAuthorFact totum
    • CommentTimeNov 9th 2007
     

    I must be prescient.

  7.  
    Posted By: Piggie8

    LOL! I love to think of all these stupid crabs invading the shore. The image in my head is just hilarious!

    Locusts are like big grasshoppers. And they fly. In hordes that blot out the sun.

    The Babylonian Times was a bi-weekly periodical, commenting on the latest in multi-level clay-based structures, current statue projects, the latest in Phoenician fashion, etc. My favorite column was "Hammurabi, Help!" where people wrote in inquiring about legal issues, with clever faux-identities such as "Messed Up In Mesopotamia" or "Bolloxed in Babylon." A little known fact - there was no "Man Seeking Woman" classifieds, due to the thriving business of the Whore of Babylon.

  8.  

    Did the whores of Babylon live by the Rivers of Babylon? The red light district was called Bohniem. Famous as the centre of drug culture. The name Mesopotamia derives from Mesa ( meaning a plateau ) and Potamia (meaning where pot is grown).

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      CommentAuthorFact totum
    • CommentTimeNov 12th 2007
     
    Posted By: Paulustrious

    Did the whores of Babylon live by the Rivers of Babylon?

    It was so long ago. Who could remember?

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      CommentAuthorPiggie8
    • CommentTimeNov 12th 2007
     
    Posted By: [Expletive Deleted]
    Posted By: Piggie8

    LOL! I love to think of all these stupid crabs invading the shore. The image in my head is just hilarious!

    Locusts are like big grasshoppers. And they fly. In hordes that blot out the sun.

    I know what locusts are, but where does it say locusts are in his statement.? :confused:

  11.  
    Posted By: [Expletive Deleted]

    the horde of locusts upon their well-documented arrival several millenia ago

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