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Jun. 20th, 2012 02:38 pmI JUST REALIZED SOMETHING.
"Guard" and "ward" are literally the same word. This is probably obvious to other people, but I never made the connection before. It's the G-W thing that occurred in Norman French, that gave us "war" instead of "guerre" and "William" instead of "Guillaume." So the word must of come into English as "ward" through Norman French, and then come in again as "guard" at a later point and acquired a subtly different meaning.
The reason this suddenly occurred to me:
In Mexico, I had a lot of slightly confusing conversations with guards at museums about having to check my backpack (mochila--important word to know). Where do you check it? The guardarropa, which was always confusingly translated as "wardrobe" on the sign. But of course, it is "wardrobe." It literally means "wardrobe"--the words map straight across. Only a wardrobe to us is actually a type of closet, and this was a coat check.
Even google translate thinks guardarropa means "wardrobe." But in context...it doesn't. Go figure.
"Guard" and "ward" are literally the same word. This is probably obvious to other people, but I never made the connection before. It's the G-W thing that occurred in Norman French, that gave us "war" instead of "guerre" and "William" instead of "Guillaume." So the word must of come into English as "ward" through Norman French, and then come in again as "guard" at a later point and acquired a subtly different meaning.
The reason this suddenly occurred to me:
In Mexico, I had a lot of slightly confusing conversations with guards at museums about having to check my backpack (mochila--important word to know). Where do you check it? The guardarropa, which was always confusingly translated as "wardrobe" on the sign. But of course, it is "wardrobe." It literally means "wardrobe"--the words map straight across. Only a wardrobe to us is actually a type of closet, and this was a coat check.
Even google translate thinks guardarropa means "wardrobe." But in context...it doesn't. Go figure.