Etymology: Why do some false friends have the same origin?
This is an extension of the thread "G A M E A - Z Most Misleading False Friends", offering some insights on the confusions listed there.
Cynical: originally meant dog-like (Greek), probably because of the sarcasm of the cynics ("kynikos"), philosophers whose most known representative is Diogenes AKA "the dog". They praised virtue, and had an open and shameless rejection of conventional manners. In the 17th century, the word "cynical" (meaning "cynic-like") almost displaced the original meaning of "cynic" in English, while in Spain only one word is used.
Actual is an interesting one, because it originally meant "active, practical" (that's where the word "to act" and "action" come from), from a verb meaning "set in motion", from which "agent", "agenda", "react", "active", "actor", "agile", "exact" and many others come from. Apparently English took the word from French, where the word meant "existing now", but due to the influence of the French "actualite" (current situation), its meaning changed to "real situation", and then to "real, factual". Spanish still uses it to mean "existing now".
"Embarazado" seems to be a coincidence, for in Spanish its origin is uncertain, although it seems to mean "tied" (originally, attached with a bow or knot), while in English it is from Latin, and it has to do with putting a "bar" (in the sense of hampering, or metaphorically making someone awkward). While it is not mentioned in the books, "embarazoso" probably shares the same origin or influence, for the meaning is very similar.
"Molest" is another Latin word borrowed from French. In Latin it meant "to annoy, to disturb", which is the modern Spanish meaning. The modern English meaning touching or assaulting someone sexually was first recorded about 60 years ago in English only, probably because there were already too many words to mean "annoy, bother...", so this one was chosen just for this specific meaning. In Spanish it hasn't changed for millennia.
"Duchar" in Spanish comes from French "douche", from where "douchebag" also comes from. The original meaning is "shower", from Latin "ductio" (as in a "duct" carrying water). A douchebag was originally a sterile bag with some liquids used for medicinal purposes. Someone probably found this process boring, I guess, and the term end up meaning a boring person. I don't have the details, but Spanish continues using the original meaning.
"Dinero" (it sounds like dinner) comes from "denarius" in Latin, a Roman coin equivalent to ten (="den", meaning "ten" in English) other coins. The funny thing is that "dinner", which comes from "diner", is a French word related to "desayunar" (to have breakfast) in Spanish. In Latin, "disjejunare" (to break [dis] the fast [jejunare]), simplified in French to "disner", and then in English to "dine", meaning the main meal of the day, which instead of being the original breakfast, it ended up being the last one (or main one, at that time). Thus, "dinner" and "desayunar" are almost 'brothers', even though their meanings don't match.
"Asist" comes from Latin "assistere", from ad (next to) + sedere (to be sitted), in the sense of sitting or stopping in a place next to someone (because they needs it), while in Spanish it means to stop in a place next to something (to attend the event).
"Real" can be misleading in Spanish, because it has two roots: Latin "res", meaning "thing" in singular, and "things" or "reality" in plural (in English "reality", which has nothing to do with kings either). The other root is "rexi/rectum" (to direct, control), where all terms about rulers (like "regent) and "straight" words (like "correct", "direct", "erect",...) come from.
"Disgustado" is an interesting one. It comes from "des-" (not) plus "gustare" (to taste like, to be pleasant to, like "gustar" in Spanish). While in English "disgust" it used to mean "not to have to taste", it ended up meaning "extreme dislike or nausea". In Spanish, "gustar" (still in use) means "to please", so "dis-gustar" means "to displease".
I will slowly continue to explore the etymologies of all "false friends", just for fun. I just need time.
Please, bring your own comments on any term.
11 Answers
(2nd Article)
"Gerundio": the word comes from Latin "gerundium", meaning literally "to be carried out", from the verb "gerere", to carry (out), to transport, to produce, to bring, to grow... (a verb with endless uses). Words like "gest", "gerent" or "gesture" come from the same word. The Latin gerunds were nouns, almost like the English gerund, and they were fully declined. It was used instead of the infinitive for cases that the latter didn't have, especially after preposition. As a subject, the infinitive was used instead of the gerund, like in "Amare bonus est" ("Amar es bueno"). In other cases, like in "Amando liberi fiemus" ("Amando nos haremos libres"), the gerund was used as a noun. However, nouns declined in ablative behave like adverbs, which is how gerunds are used nowadays in Spanish.
"Morder / murder": Simply a coincidence. "Morder" comes from Latin "mordere", from which "mordant" and "remorse" also come from. "Mordant" was borrowed from French, where it literally meant "biting", and "remorse" from Latin (through French), from re- (again) + "mordere", meaning "to disturb". The word is ultimately related to "smart", which used to mean "painful", and before that, "to bite".
"Murder" is a Germanic root altered probably due to the Normand influences, and ultimately related to "morir" and "mortal" in Spanish. The word "mortal" is not from Germanic origin, but from Latin. Another words sharing a common origin are "nightmare" (goblin of the night) and "mortgage", from French "morgage" (dead pledge)
"Ultimately" obviously comes from Latin "ultimate" (to come to an end), from "ultimus", meanings last or final, from "ulter" (beyond). The term in Latin referred to things far away (beyond), the farthest point of something, or to the last moment (either back in time, or at the end of a sequence ending in the present, i.e. currently). English did not seem to have kept the original time sense which Spanish uses.
"Sensitive / sensible / sensato": The word "sensitive" comes from Latin "sensitivus" (through French, of course), meaning "capable of having sensations", from "sentire", meaning to feel, to experience (with your senses), to realize, sense things with your mind. The modern interpretation of being easily affected in English is about two centuries old. While other meanings developed in English, in Spanish it simply refers to capture things with the senses plus feeling affection. "Sensible" has exactly the same root (preceible by the senses), but a different ending (able) meaning "capable of". The meaning evolved into being aware, and then having a good sense for things (i.e. good judgement), while in Spanish it evolved almost like "sensitive" did in English. In Spanish "sensato" has exactly the same root too, but from Latin "sensatus", meaning being able to use your senses with good judgement, like "sensible" in English.
"Sentire" in Latin also derived into "scent" (from the senses), "sense", "sentiment", "presentiment" (pre- 'before', sense before it happens), "resent" (re-, intensive prefix), "sentinel" (sensing, watching), "consensus" (cum- together, sensing or agreeing together), "consent" (cum- again), "dissent", "sensation", "sensual", "sentence" (sensation, opinion)...
significa hablar en defensa de alguien, que es como se usa en español, más o menos.
En inglés empezó a usarse con un sentido ligeramente distinto en el siglo XVI, pero no se asentó hasta el XVIII. Inicialmente se usaba con la idea de justificarse por algo que uno había hecho mal, pero terminó usándose para relatar los errores para mostrar arrepentimiento. De ahí que ahora signifique pedir perdón.
Aunque en inglés lo más común es que se use con la idea de pedir perdón, la palabra «apology/apologize» todavía se usa de la misma manera que se usa en español, o sea, con el sentido de «hablar o escribir en defensa de alguien o de algún propósito». No obstante, a la mayoría de la gente no le resulta bien conocido este último sentido (es decir que su uso es poco común). Aún así, debido a la influencia de la filosofía de Platón (y su obra, el «Apology») y al uso de esta palabra (con el sentido de «en defensa de algún propósito o acto») por la Iglesia católico, dudo que este sentido de la palabra caiga (totalmente) en desuso.
Cynical: it's been only 4 days, I was reading something about Greek Philosophy from a book I have. And as you could guess the subject was: kinikos. It's köpek in Turkish. And I think it came from kynikos.
Actual: is a common word now in Turkish too, it's "aktüel" and it means newsworthy, contemporary, current...
Duchar: Another one, in Turkish it's "du?" the usage is the same as English, we absolutely take a shower, and in addition to this we also have banyo which is used equally and it's also the name of bathroom.
Dinero: one of the most easy words for me. I still hear my grandmother saying dinar sometimes, although that money was never used here. But the Ottoman Empire had a money called Dirhem. Maybe there could be a connection.
Asist: this can be considered as a new word in Turkish. But it's used pretty much nowadays although the Turkish Language Association wants to stop it and make people use an old Turkish word instead of that.
Real: in Turkish it's reel and reality is realite and the meaning is the same.
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I really wonder how we got these words.
If you look in the dictionary, actual in English has the meaning of current, but it is not well known. Molest can still mean to bother or annoy in addition the more sexual meaning.
Very interesting thread! Learning about the origins of words helps me remember their meanings. I look forward to future posts like this one. Thank you, Lazarus.
very nice thread^__^ It's enjoyable to read something about etymology. In Slovak, we have some similar words like aktualny which is closer to the Spanish meaning.
However, it's opposite in the case of the word asistovat (it means to assist, not the Spanish one 
).
Languages are so much fun because they evolve with human culture and it's like what Tolkien's Ent (the "tree giant") said somewhere in LOTR that in his language you could hear the story of a person just by hearing their name... I think in real life it's also true because you can see the relationships just in the way the words sound/are written
Foxie is in an exalted stade now 
language overdose...
Lazarus, ¡eres un genio! ¡Gracias!
Interesting, as always. I enjoy following the evolution of the meanings of words. The English word quick is a good one. It originally meant alive. To quicken meant to bring to life. The phrase The quick and the dead means The living and the dead, not The fast and the dead.
Gracias, Lazarus, no tienes precio.Esto es la mar de interesante.
Siendo Apolo como eres, seguro que sabes ésta:
Parece que apologizar y apologise tienen el mismo origen, ¿ tienes alguna teoría acerca de cómo han llegado a tener significados tan diferentes?
refundir - from the Latin for "to pour again"
Siendo Apolo como eres, seguro que sabes ésta:
Parece que apologizar y apologise tienen el mismo origen, ¿ tienes alguna teoría de cómo han llegado a tener significados tan diferentes?
"Apologizar" viene de "apología", que significa "relato" o "informe", formado con el prefijo "apo", parecido al "ab" del latín, y la raíz "logos" (que tantísimas palabras comparten), que significa "habla" o "discurso". El verbo correspondiente, "apologeisthai", significa hablar en defensa de alguien, que es como se usa en español, más o menos.
En inglés empezó a usarse con un sentido ligeramente distinto en el siglo XVI, pero no se asentó hasta el XVIII. Inicialmente se usaba con la idea de justificarse por algo que uno había hecho mal, pero terminó usándose para relatar los errores para mostrar arrepentimiento. De ahí que ahora signifique pedir perdón.
Lo que más cambia en un idioma es siempre el significado de las palabras; más que los sonidos o la gramática.
