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Quicksand -

Many of us assume the “quick” in “quicksand” means fast. You can quickly sink in quicksand, so it makes sense, right? It does, but that’s not what it means.

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Quicksand -

The “quick” in “quicksand” actually means alive or living, which is essentially a reference to the moving characteristic of quicksand.

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Quicksilver -

Mercury used to be called “quicksilver,” and the rationale behind it is exactly the same as the one used for quicksand. Mercury can actually move, and therefore looks alive.

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Lollipop -

When we read the word “lollipop,” it’s common to assume the “lolli” means "lolling," i.e. relaxing. But its origins actually come from an Old English dialect word for tongue, namely “lolly.”

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Midwife -

If you think the “mid” in “midwife” means middle, then think again. In the same way, the “wife” in “midwife” also doesn’t mean wife!

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Midwife -

The word “wife” means woman, and the word “mid” stands for with. So a “midwife” is essentially a woman who is with another woman.

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Wilderness -

It turns out the “wild” in “wilderness” doesn’t actually mean wild in the traditional sense of the word (e.g. woods, etc.).

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Wilderness -

Instead, it has its roots in “wilder,” which is a corruption of the Old English “wild deor.” This word was used to describe a wild animal or wild deer.

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Cutlet -

The “cut” in “cutlet” doesn’t quite mean cut or trimmed. In fact, it has nothing to do with cutting meat.

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Cutlet -

The word “cutlet” comes from the French costelette, which roughly translates to little rib.

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Belfry -

We might associate the word with bell towers, but the “bel” in “belfry” doesn’t actually mean bell.

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Belfry -

The word derives from the old Germanic term bercfrit, which was used to describe a mobile siege tower that was used to invade castles.

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Hamburger -

It’s easy to assume the “ham” in “hamburger” means meat, but, in fact, it has nothing to do with meat at all.

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Hamburger -

The word “hamburger” is a reference to Hamburg, Germany. It’s used to describe people or things originating from that city. It was in Hamburg that the hamburger was inspired.

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Piggyback -

This one might come as a surprise for you, but the “piggy” part in the word “piggyback” doesn’t actually mean pig.

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Piggyback -

The word “piggyback” is a corruption of a 16th-century expression for carrying something on the shoulders, namely “pick-a-pack” or “pick-pack.”

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Curry favor -

The act of gaining favor is about integrating, usually by means of attention and/or flattery. Perhaps like a curry, where the ingredients and flavors mix during cooking, and the end product is great. Except, this analogy is not correct.

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Curry favor -

Instead, the word “curry” in this context comes from a Middle English word that means grooming a horse. As for the “favor” part, it’s a corruption of a chestnut-colored horse named Fauvel, who appears in an old French poem and folktale.

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Curry favor -

In the tale, Fauvel apparently wanted to take over his master’s kingdom and ended up being fawned over by members of his master’s court.

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Shamefaced -

The “face” in “shamefaced” doesn’t actually mean a face (as in visage). The word shamefaced was originally “shamefast.”

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Shamefaced -

The “fast” here means fixed or constant (like in steadfast, for example). The word has somehow mutated to shamefaced and is today used to describe one’s expression of embarrassment or shame.

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D-Day -

The popular term makes reference to Operation Neptune, aka the Normandy landings, during World War II. Though “D” doesn’t have anything to do with disembarkation. Nor does it mean doomsday or Deutschland.

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D-Day -

D-Day was just a placeholder used when planning military operations. The format would use “D” before a definite date was set. The term actually dates back to 1918.

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Chock-full -

The “chock” in “chock-full” doesn’t actually mean a wedge. Instead, it comes from the word “choke,” in the sense of being stuffed, crowded, or crammed.

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Goodbye -

The “good” in “goodbye” doesn’t have anything to do with good. The word is a contraction of an expression dating back to medieval times: God be with you.

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Goodbye -

God became good, similar to other expressions, such as good morning. The word “goodbye” has now been in use since the late 16th century.

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Sandblind -

No, the “sand” in “sandblind” has nothing to do with sand, nor being partially blinded by a sandstorm.

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Sandblind -

The word actually dates back to the 15th century. It’s the equivalent to the Old English word samblind. The “sam” part of the word means semi. It’s a bit like saying semi-blind.

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Jerusalem artichoke -

This is an easy one, right? An artichoke from the city or Jerusalem? Well, not quite. “Jerusalem” is a corruption of the Italian word for sunflower, girasole.

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Jerusalem artichoke -

And contrary to what the name indicates, the Jerusalem artichoke is not actually an artichoke. It’s a tuber part of the sunflower family.

Sources: (Mental Floss)

See also: The oldest words in the English language

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