Words to Ponder

By Michael L. Craner

Just as "A picture is worth a thousand words," a single word can have many more surrounding it, defining it, to the point of bringing the reader to experiencing it.

Some words have more history in themselves than their usage portrays. Find the right word, and you can become enveloped in a new world of past, present, and future, all at once, simply based on the word's origin, famous people who have used the word in famous works, its definition, not only now, but in its past as well, because some words don’t always retain their original meanings throughout the centuries. In fact, words evolve continuously based on their usage, and who uses them.

My first word for you to ponder and perhaps rediscover is Gypsy.

According to The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories Gypsy originated in the early sixteenth century from Britain. The Britain’s believed these wandering folk of Hindu origin to be from Egypt, thus they were referred to as "Egipcyans". This nomenclature went through a series of abridgements from Gipcyan, Gipsey, Gipsy, to it’s current form of Gypsy. The earliest known example is in Shakespeare’s "As You Like It," where two pages sing a ditty, "both in a tune, like two gipsies on a horse."

As far as the history of the word Gypsy is concerned, we could leave it at that; however, these itinerant folk made their way around Europe. Even though many nations were aware of them, few seemed to recognize the Gypsies for who THEY claimed to be, which was Romany, and without country as Sir Walter Scott intimated in his novel "Quentin Durward" (1823). "I am a Zingaro, a Bohemian, and Egyptian, or whatever the Europeans… may choose to call me; but I have no country," stated one of his Gypsy characters. It was the French who thought the Gypsies originated from Bohemia, thus they were referred to as "Bohemes." Here is where the English translation of Bohemian came from, and why Gypsy and Bohemian are often used synonymously.

Now that you know a little about the word, if you’re like me, a whole series of questions, stories and thoughts rise up, all from the mention of a single word. Questions like, "Why didn’t anyone refer to them as Romanian as they claimed?" "Why did they wander about and claim no country?" "What adventures and impact on history did they have?" Herein lies the seed of inspiration for a writer, and the adventure for the reader.

Like Literary Gypsies, we have now set out upon a path where research, fantasy, intrigue and entertainment are promised. Whether you are a writer or a reader makes no difference.

Pick a word, and let the adventures begin! Join me next month for a look at another word to ponder!