Parasite: In Ancient Greece, it was fun to be a parasite (literally, "beside food"). Parasites would eat dinner at rich people's homes, where they flattered the host.
Manure: A poet once wrote: "Manure your heart." Why? He meant "improve it." The word is from a Latin phrase meaning "work with the hands."
Gossip: Gossips were originally "God relatives" or godparents. Later they were women who were present at a child's birth--and who talked.
Salary: Centuries ago, people could preserve food only by covering it in salt. A salary was the money that Roman soldiers bought salt with.
Sockeye: Forget feet and faces! This word comes from B.C., where the Salish Indians called a red fish "su-key".
We've also drawn the winners for our favorite-word contest: first place has won a copy of Camp Fossil Eyes and a travel Scrabble set, and the two runners-up have each won a copy of the book! As soon as we've notified the winners, we'll post the origins of their favorite words (courtesy of Mark Abley, of course!). Stay tuned!
