List of common false etymologies

This incomplete list is not intended to be exhaustive.

This is a list of current, widespread, fallacious ideas and beliefs about the origins (or etymologies) of common English words.

Obscenities

• The word "fuck" did not originate in Christianized Anglo-Saxon England as an acronym of "Fornication Under Consent of King"; nor did it originate as an acronym of "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", either as a sign posted above adulterers in the stocks, or as a criminal charge against members of the British Armed Forces; nor did it originate during the 15th-century Battle of Agincourt as a corruption of "pluck yew" (an idiom falsely attributed to the English for drawing a longbow).^[1][2][3] Modern English was not spoken until the 16th century, and words such as "fornication" and "consent" did not exist in any form in English until the influence of Anglo-Norman in the late 12th century. The earliest recorded use of "fuck" in English comes from c. 1475, in the poem "Flen flyys", where it is spelled fuccant (conjugated as if a Latin verb meaning "they fuck"). It is of Proto-Germanic origin, and is related to Dutch fokken and Norwegian fukka.^[4][5][6]
• The word "crap" did not originate as a back-formation of British plumber Thomas Crapper's surname, nor does his name originate from the word "crap", although the surname may have helped popularize the word.^[7][8] The surname "Crapper" is a variant of "Cropper", which originally referred to someone who harvested crops.^[9][10] The word "crap" ultimately comes from Medieval Latin crappa, meaning "chaff".^[11]
• The word "shit" did not originate as an acronym for "Ship High in Transit", a label falsely said to have been used on shipments of manure to prevent them from becoming waterlogged and releasing explosive methane gas.^[3][12] The word comes from Old English scitte, and is of Proto-Germanic origin.^[13][14]

Ethnic slurs

• The word "gringo" (a pejorative term for a white American) did not originate during the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), the Venezuelan War of Independence (1811–1823), the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), or in the American Old West (c. 1865–1899) as a corruption of the lyrics "green grow" in either "Green Grow the Lilacs" or "Green Grow the Rushes, O" sung by American soldiers or cowboys;^[15] nor did it originate during any of these times as a corruption of "Green go home!", falsely said to have been shouted at green-clad American troops.^[16] The word originally simply meant "foreigner", and is probably a corruption of Spanish griego, "Greek".^[17]
• The word "spic" (a pejorative term for a Latino) did not originate as an abbreviation of "Hispanic"; nor as an acronym for "Spanish, Indian, and Colored" (in reference to minority races in the United States); nor as an acronym for "Spanish, Polish, Italian, and Chinese", falsely said to have been used by U.S. immigration officials in the 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s to categorize citizenship applications.^[18][19] The word, originally spelled "spig", was short for "spiggoty", which is probably from the Spanglish phrase "No speak the English".^[20][21]
• The word "wop" (a pejorative term for an Italian) was not originally an acronym for "without passport".^[3] It is a corruption of dialectal Italian guappo, "thug".^[22]
• The use of "cracker" as a pejorative term for a Caucasian does not come from the use of bullwhips by Caucasians against slaves in the Atlantic slave trade.^[23] The true origin is uncertain.^[24]

Words derived from ethnic slurs

• The word "picnic" did not originate as an abbreviation of "pick a nigger", a phrase falsely claimed to have been used by White families at community lynchings in the 19th century.^[25][26] "Picnic" comes from 17th-century French piquenique, which is of uncertain origin.^[27][28]
• The use of "buck" to mean "dollar" did not originate from a practice of referring to African slaves as "bucks" (male deer) when trading.^[29] "Buck" was originally short for "buckskin", as buckskins were used in trade.^[30]
• A "crowbar" is not so named for its use by Black menial workers.^[31] The name comes from the forked end of a crowbar, which resembles a crow's foot.^[32]

Other

• "Golf" did not originate as an acronym of "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden".^[33] The word's true origin is unknown, but it existed in the Middle Scots period.^[34][35]
• "420" did not originate as the Los Angeles police or penal code for marijuana use.^[36] Police Code 420 is "juvenile disturbance",^[37] and Penal Code 420 defines the prevention, hindrance, or obstruction of legal "entry, settlement, or residence" on "any tract of public land" as a misdemeanor.^[38] The use of "420" started in 1971 at San Rafael High School, where it indicated the time 4:20 PM, when a group of students would go to smoke cannabis under the statue of Louis Pasteur. Some LA police codes that do relate to illegal drugs include 10-50 ("under influence of drugs"), 966 ("drug deal"), 11300 ("narcotics"), and 23105 ("driver under narcotics").^[39][40]
• Tips did not gain their name from the acronym "To Insure Prompt Service".^[41] The word originated in Shelta in the 17th century and is of uncertain origin.^[42]
• The word "isle" is not short for "island", nor is the word "island" an extension of "isle".^[43] "Isle" comes ultimately from Latin īnsula, meaning "island"; "island" comes ultimately from Old English īegland, also meaning "island"; the words are unrelated.^[44]
• The word "handicap" did not originate as a metathetic corruption of "cap in hand" in reference to disabled beggars.^[45] The word originally referred to the game hand-i'-cap, in which forfeits were placed in a cap.^[46][47]

See also

• False etymology
• Folk etymology
• List of common English usage misconceptions
• List of common misconceptions#Words and phrases
• List of misquotations

References