Essay On Etymology
The meaning of a word is not the same in every place and every time. Rather the meaning can change based on how the word is used and interpreted. Some words’ meanings may change very drastically. For instance the word silly used to mean holy, but now it means foolish. The study of a word’s origin and the changes its definition has gone through over time is called etymology. Etymology allows us to deeply understand the meaning of a word and analyze its history. This paper will focus on the etymology of the word homicide. The word homicide can be falsely interpreted due to the changes its definition has gone through over the past few centuries. The word homicide’s entire verb tense changed over time. The word homicide was first used in the 14th
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century by the Anglo-French. In Latin the word homicide was known as “homicidium”. It comes from the the roots homo meaning man and cidium meaning killing. Today the suffix cidium has been replaced with the suffix cide, thus the word homicide (Homicide). The suffix cide is used many other words related to death such as suicide, genocide, etc. The word homicide was first used in 1382 “Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Acts iii. 14 Ȝe..axiden a man homeside, or mansleer, for to be ȝouun to ȝou.(definition)” In the past homicide was used as a synonym for murderer. According to the Oxford English Dictionary this meaning was first used in 1421-1422 by T. Hoccleve (Definition). This continued until the 1820s “BYRON Sardanapalus IV. i. 114 And her, the homicide and husbandkiller”(Definition). Suicide was called self homicide in the seventeenth century,”H. NEVILLE Plato Redivivus 212 So that for the Parliament…..as we call a self-Homicide”(Definition). In the 15th century homicide was also used as a verb meaning to kill,”J. HARDYNG Chron. LXXXI. v, That place..Wher that gyaunt and she were homycied”(Definition).
The reason I chose the word homicide was because I used it incorrectly before.
I was always under the assumption that homicide is just a fancy synonym for the word murder. I made this false assumption due to the unique vocabulary used in detective dramas and shows. Whenever a detective sees a damaged corpse he assumes it was a form of homicide, since the homicide is usually a result of murder, I made a false conclusion. The word homicide is a very general term and may sometimes be misinterpreted.The word homicide includes all forms of killing and their sub-categories. This includes assassination, murder, and self defense along with all their sub-categories. For example euthanasia is a form of murder, because it is the killing of an innocent person even though it was carried out with a good intention. Since euthanasia is a form of murder it is also a form of homicide. As a result numerous words go under the category of homicide. Many people confuse the word murder with homicide. This may have been true in the past, but not anymore. Today this word is used mostly in the law and court to describe any form of killing. It is important to note that murder is only one form of homicide and that many other forms exist. Criminal lawyer Riccardo Lorenzo Ippolito
says:
Homicides are criminal, excusable, or justifiable. A criminal homicide is unjustifiable, with consequences being severe. An excusable or justifiable homicide is one without criminal intent to kill someone. Examples of excusable or justifiable homicide would be someone killing someone else as a means of self defense, or defending another person, or law enforcement who kills someone in the line of duty. (Ippolito)
It is important to remember that the act of homicide requires one person to cause the death of another person. As a result suicide does not go under the category of homicide since one took his own life. Some people use the word homicide to describe abortion. According to the law this may not be true, but according to the english definition of the word homicide it may be true. If the embryo is considered to be a human then abortion becomes a form of homicide, because homicide is the “killing of one human being by another”(Merriam). On the other hand if the embryo is not considered to be a human then abortion is not a form of homicide. The word homicide will always retain its position in the American law and English language. The word homicide does not have a synonym that is as vague as the definition of the word homicide is. Its definition may continue to change over the upcoming centuries, but it will still carry a similar meaning. The word’s definition will not drastically change, rather a few minor changes may occur to the word.
It is important to remember that “Latin is a dead language. No one speaks Latin as his native language, and this has been the case for more than a millennium”(Moore). Since no one speaks Latin then it is very unlikely for the definition of Latin roots and Latin suffixes to change even after many millenniums past. Since the word homicide is derived from Latin roots and Latin affixes its meaning can’t go any drastic changes like the word silly did.
In conclusion the study of etymology is very important to the growth, understanding and development of the English language. Etymology empowers us to deeply understand the meaning of a word and trace its ancient origin. It also gives us the ability to make predictions about the changes a word will go through based on the word’s etymology.
century by the Anglo-French. In Latin the word homicide was known as “homicidium”. It comes from the the roots homo meaning man and cidium meaning killing. Today the suffix cidium has been replaced with the suffix cide, thus the word homicide (Homicide). The suffix cide is used many other words related to death such as suicide, genocide, etc. The word homicide was first used in 1382 “Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Acts iii. 14 Ȝe..axiden a man homeside, or mansleer, for to be ȝouun to ȝou.(definition)” In the past homicide was used as a synonym for murderer. According to the Oxford English Dictionary this meaning was first used in 1421-1422 by T. Hoccleve (Definition). This continued until the 1820s “BYRON Sardanapalus IV. i. 114 And her, the homicide and husbandkiller”(Definition). Suicide was called self homicide in the seventeenth century,”H. NEVILLE Plato Redivivus 212 So that for the Parliament…..as we call a self-Homicide”(Definition). In the 15th century homicide was also used as a verb meaning to kill,”J. HARDYNG Chron. LXXXI. v, That place..Wher that gyaunt and she were homycied”(Definition).
The reason I chose the word homicide was because I used it incorrectly before.
I was always under the assumption that homicide is just a fancy synonym for the word murder. I made this false assumption due to the unique vocabulary used in detective dramas and shows. Whenever a detective sees a damaged corpse he assumes it was a form of homicide, since the homicide is usually a result of murder, I made a false conclusion. The word homicide is a very general term and may sometimes be misinterpreted.The word homicide includes all forms of killing and their sub-categories. This includes assassination, murder, and self defense along with all their sub-categories. For example euthanasia is a form of murder, because it is the killing of an innocent person even though it was carried out with a good intention. Since euthanasia is a form of murder it is also a form of homicide. As a result numerous words go under the category of homicide. Many people confuse the word murder with homicide. This may have been true in the past, but not anymore. Today this word is used mostly in the law and court to describe any form of killing. It is important to note that murder is only one form of homicide and that many other forms exist. Criminal lawyer Riccardo Lorenzo Ippolito
says:
Homicides are criminal, excusable, or justifiable. A criminal homicide is unjustifiable, with consequences being severe. An excusable or justifiable homicide is one without criminal intent to kill someone. Examples of excusable or justifiable homicide would be someone killing someone else as a means of self defense, or defending another person, or law enforcement who kills someone in the line of duty. (Ippolito)
It is important to remember that the act of homicide requires one person to cause the death of another person. As a result suicide does not go under the category of homicide since one took his own life. Some people use the word homicide to describe abortion. According to the law this may not be true, but according to the english definition of the word homicide it may be true. If the embryo is considered to be a human then abortion becomes a form of homicide, because homicide is the “killing of one human being by another”(Merriam). On the other hand if the embryo is not considered to be a human then abortion is not a form of homicide. The word homicide will always retain its position in the American law and English language. The word homicide does not have a synonym that is as vague as the definition of the word homicide is. Its definition may continue to change over the upcoming centuries, but it will still carry a similar meaning. The word’s definition will not drastically change, rather a few minor changes may occur to the word.
It is important to remember that “Latin is a dead language. No one speaks Latin as his native language, and this has been the case for more than a millennium”(Moore). Since no one speaks Latin then it is very unlikely for the definition of Latin roots and Latin suffixes to change even after many millenniums past. Since the word homicide is derived from Latin roots and Latin affixes its meaning can’t go any drastic changes like the word silly did.
In conclusion the study of etymology is very important to the growth, understanding and development of the English language. Etymology empowers us to deeply understand the meaning of a word and trace its ancient origin. It also gives us the ability to make predictions about the changes a word will go through based on the word’s etymology.