O: Overeenkomsten

Similarities. Notably in languages.

At the start of this month, when I was trying to decide on subjects to go with all the letters of the alphabet, the first one I came up with was this one. I'd been pondering something, and while comparing some random things, I struck upon the similarities in words. Now, I don't even mean the way the Dutch 'respectabel' means the exact same thing as the English 'respectable'.

What I mean is, I was thinking of words that have multiple meanings. Like the Dutch word for couch, 'bank', is the same word we use for, well, a bank. With money. Those words have different meanings in different languages, presumably because the use of the word has evolved differently.

But then I started thinking about random words to figure out if that is always the case, and I stumbled upon this little beauty. You see, the word 'oplossing' means 'solution'. But the word solution has two different meanings. It can be the unraveling, and therefore solving, of a problem, or a fluid that contains dissolved solids. The awesome thing is that in Dutch the word 'oplossing' has the exact same two meanings.

Now, this could be purely coincidental, but it makes me wonder whether there is some inherent connection between the two things. I suppose it has to do with the breaking apart of something, like deconstruction of a problem by pondering it and finding the answer, or the deconstruction of a solid by the molecular attraction differences that occur when it is dumped into a liquid.

Or something. :'D.


~Levyathan

M: Mededogen

Also known as mercy. Sorry to say I won't really be talking about that. You see, when I was thinking of this word, it struck me that, while the positive form of the word is 'mededogen', the negative version (merciless) is 'meedogenloos'. Somewhere along the way, we lost the 'd'. This happens with more words, it is in fact quite a common occurrence. When, in olden times, the right Dutch word for leather would've been 'leder', today almost everyone uses the word 'leer'. The meaning hasn't changed.

This is not always the case, however. When we examine the affiliations of the word 'teder' (which is basically tender) we think of tenderly saying something, caressing someone. The other form of the word, 'teer', which should technically mean the same thing, is a lot more associated with 'fragile'; as in, a form of physical or psychological weakness rather than a feeling of emotional 'softness' towards someone.

I just found it really cool when I started thinking about it. :'D.


~Levyathan