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Tommy M
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:05 am
Post subject: Wondering about affix and awaiting |
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This is not usually my cup of tea, but I am somewhat curious if words like
fix and wait predate words like affix and awaiting.
Is there some standard pattern of how particular (root)word usages come in
to being and usage.
Fix is quite an interesting word; to fix, to affix, putting in the fix.
I'll fix that, I'll fix you. A lot of variety in those phrases.
I was just somewhat curious about this and thought this a good place to
ask. Thanks for any illucidation.
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Martin Ambuhl
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:58 am
Post subject: Re: Wondering about affix and awaiting |
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Tommy M wrote:
| Quote: | This is not usually my cup of tea, but I am somewhat curious if words like
fix and wait predate words like affix and awaiting.
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Yes & No
MW Oxford
CD11 SOED OED citations
await 13c ME 1230
wait 14c ME c1200
fix 14c LME <1489
affix 1533 LME 1533 |
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Raymond S. Wise
Guest
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| Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:12 am
Post subject: Re: Wondering about affix and awaiting |
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"Tommy M" <tomnospam@notboley.org> wrote in message
news:pan.2004.11.03.01.05.51.699580@notboley.org...
| Quote: | This is not usually my cup of tea, but I am somewhat curious if words like
fix and wait predate words like affix and awaiting.
Is there some standard pattern of how particular (root)word usages come in
to being and usage.
Fix is quite an interesting word; to fix, to affix, putting in the fix.
I'll fix that, I'll fix you. A lot of variety in those phrases.
I was just somewhat curious about this and thought this a good place to
ask. Thanks for any illucidation.
|
The "a" in "a-fixin," as in "We're a-fixin to go to town."
See
http://www.rootsweb.com/~mobarry/slang.htm
is a version of the word "on." I've written about that "a-" before, citing
the entry in *The Century Dictionary.* See
http://groups.google.com/groups?safe=images&as_umsgid=wMadnQMPPfSPeZXdRVn-gg@gbronline.com&lr=&hl=en
or
http://tinyurl.com/56s7s
The "af-" in "affix" is from Latin "affixus," "adfixus," with "ad-" coming
from the Latin word "ad" meaning "to." The English word "fix" also derives
ultimately from Latin "fixus."
The "a" in "await" is from Old French "awaitier," where "a-" comes from the
French word "a" (now "à"), meaning "to," and that word is derived from the
Latin "ad." The English word "wait" comes from the Old French "waitier."
--
Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com
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