Vocabulary - Why There's a Bubble in Your Bills

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Why There's a Bubble in Your Bills

As you find your household bills waxing bigger every month, you probably won't take comfort in knowing that the word "bill" derives from a bubble of wax. But I'll tell you anyway.

In ancient Rome, official documents were sealed with a wax "bulla" (knob or bubble). During the Middle Ages, "bulla" came to refer to the document itself, which is why a proclamation from the Pope is called a "bull."

"Bulla," which later became "billa" in Latin, entered English as "bill," which soon became a general term for any official document or financial statement.

If your stock broker hits a homerun -- good luck with that, these days! -- you might just celebrate with champagne. That's appropriate, for the word "broker" derives from the French "brokiere," someone who broached or opened a bottle of wine. "Brokiere" entered English as "broker, which eventually became a general term for salesman or intermediary.

When you dump out a purse or bag to find the last few dollars and coins inside, you're re-enacting the origins of "budget." During the Middle Ages, French merchants carried their money in a "bougette" (little bag), which became "budget" in English.

To determine how much money was on hand, English shopkeepers regularly checked the contents of their budgets, and soon "budget" took on the more general meaning of a supply or stock and eventually a list of financial resources.

If negotiating a purchase or financial deal makes you nervous, you're not alone. In fact, "negotiate" derives from the Latin "neg-" (not) and "otium" (ease), suggesting that even the ancient Romans felt uneasy during the bargaining process.

While heatedly dickering with someone over a price, it's sometimes wise to count to 10. And that's a good way to remember the origin of "dicker." The ancient Romans bartered with the barbarians for furs in units of 10; each set of 10 pelts was called a "decuria," from the Latin "decem" (10).

A decuria remained the standard unit for fur bargaining through the Middle Ages, and eventually "decuria" became "dicker" in English. When Europeans started trading furs with Native Americans, the name for the unit of furs being sold ("dicker") came to refer to the bargaining process itself.

By a similar linguistic process, will stockbrokers start referring to haggling over the price of shares as "sharing"? On that prospect, call me bearish.

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. To find out more about Rob Kyff and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2008 Creators Syndicate Inc.

This news arrived on: 10/08/2008

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