Sorcery and Word-Detective

N Word Investigation N
Sorcery

1. Etymology
The word originated in 1300 in Old French. It entered the English language as Sorceress in 1384.

2. Lexical
This word lends itself to a MYRIAD of other words like: Hecate, poppet, fetish, obeah, mascot, magic, necromancy, and is the base word for sorcery, sorceress.

3. Semantics
1 : the use of power gained from the assistance or control of evil spirits especially for divining
c.1300, from O.Fr. sorcerie, from sorcier "sorcerer," from V.L. *sortiarius, lit. "one who influences, fate, fortune," from L. sors (gen. sortis) "lot, fate, fortune" (see sort). Sorceress (c.1384) is attested much earlier than sorcerer (1526).

4. Resources
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=Sorcery&searchmode=none
www.m-w.com


" Website Review "
http://www.word-detective.com

I like this site already because it has illustrations from through the looking glass. The site is basically an archival Q&A session. There is also a very helpful archive page where you can look up phrases or words. The responses are hilarious, but maintain a certain degree of credibility:

In response to a question concerning the phrase ""foot loose and fancy-free:"

"Do I know of someone with first hand knowledge of chain gangs? Well, there's Dwayne, the guy who's been hiding out in our barn for the past few months, but I'm reluctant to ask him too many questions. Maybe after he finishes painting the garage and fixing the porch. It's so hard to get good help these days.

In any case, that's a dandy story you've heard about "footloose and fancy-free," but unfortunately it bears all the hallmarks of having been invented to fit the phrase, and completely fails to explain the "fancy-free" part. As it happens, "footloose" has been used to mean "free to act as one pleases" since the 17th century, and simply came from the sense of being able to go anywhere one wishes. "Fancy- free" is even less likely to have chain-gang origins. The "fancy" part originally, back in the 16th century, meant "love or romantic attachment," so to be "fancy-free" was to be not in love and thus unbound to any other person. Put together in "footloose and fancy-free," you have a prescription for unfettered wandering."

Definitely something I'll use again.

apologies for the short post, I haven't been sleeping very well lately, and it's 1 am and i have church in about 9 hours.

out