Vinson’s Variety: Delving into word origins
Concerning my interest in words, their origins, meanings, usages, relationships, etc., I suppose I am indebted to the late Lela Tubbs, my first-grade teacher at Centertown School, and my late father, Carlos Vinson.
Literally and effectively, Mrs. Tubbs was from the “old school,” in that she labored hard to ensure each of her students grasped the fundamentals of the “3 R’s”: reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. Back in those days, with Mrs. Tubbs, either you turned in your homework on time or you didn’t participate – had to stay in, we called it – in recess the following day. And there was no disgruntled parent marching in with a designer-outfitted attorney, briefcase in hand, threatening a lawsuit – no such animal in existence the school year of 1960-1961.
About Carlos Vinson, my late father, when I, as a kid, would observe him reading some material or watching television, I noticed he always kept a dictionary by his side. From time to time, out of the blue, he would pick up the dictionary, open it, study a few moments, then close it. One evening, I asked him what was up with him and the dictionary. He told me when he came across a word he wasn’t familiar with, regardless the medium, he would look up that word in the dictionary.
For whatever reason, I commenced mimicking my dad’s habit, and it wasn’t long before I became fascinated with the concept of words. So,with that, how about a little word game. Here goes:
Would you believe a lion, a merry-go-round, and a fatal automobile accident have something in common? Virtually everyone enjoys attending a carnival. Along with an assortment of fun things to do, most often, at a carnival, one can ride a merry-go-round and visit a zoo, which very well might feature a ferocious lion!
However, you must take great caution when observing the lion, because the King of Beasts is carnivorous, meaning: “subsisting on dead flesh.” If you become careless and venture too close to the lion, he/she will attack you and turn you into carnage, which, in essence, translates into “dead meat/flesh,” the same product as a fatal automobile accident.
Being carnivorous, and if hungry enough, the lion will proceed to devour you as a main course. Now, to hopefully tie all this together.
From Merriam Webster’s Vocabulary Builder: “Just before Lent many cities hold a time of merrymaking called a carnival. The roots that make up carnival mean “flesh” and “remove,” and the original purpose of carnival was to eat up all the meat before the 40-day season of Lent, a time of fasting and self-discipline. In the Americas, carnival is most famous in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans (whose version is called Mardi Gras), but carnival takes place in most parts of the world where Lent is observed.
From Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary: 1. carnivore: “a flesh-eating animal. ous: “having/possessing the qualities of. [adventurous, clamorous, etc.]” So, if we take the prefix carnivor and mate it with the suffix ous, we come up with, as noted a couple paragraphs back, carnivorous, which, according to guidance set set forth in this paragraph, equates to “having the qualities of a flesh-eating animal.” And if, indeed, you have been to Madi Gras, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
(Mike Vinson is a Warren County columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].)