endured a series of different endings and spellings leading to the English spelling “admyrall” in the 14th Century and to “admiral” by the 16th Century....
ETYMOLOGY
Admiral (noun)
Origin: Arabic
An admiral is the most senior commander of a fleet or navy. The word admiral comes from the Arabic term amir-al-bahr meaning commander of the seas. Crusaders learned the term during their encounters with the Arabs, perhaps as early as the 11th Century. The Sicilians and later Genoese took the first two parts of the term and used them as one word, amiral. The French and Spanish gave their sea commanders similar titles. As the word was used by people speaking Latin or Latin-based languages it gained the “d” and endured a series of different endings and spellings leading to the English spelling “admyrall” in the 14th Century and to “admiral” by the 16th Century.
************
Ballet (noun)
Origin: French
One of world’s most timeless French classical dance styles has its etymological origins in the Italian word balletto, the diminutive form of ballo (dance), which all traces back to the late Latin ballare (to dance) - which, finally, stems from Greek. The word got absorbed into English in the early 1600s. This theatrical, performative art focuses on formalised, minutely choreographed steps and movements that come together to communicate a story or theme.
Ballet developed under the aristocratic influence as a formalised form of dance. A formal dance technique is combined with costumes, scenery and music, as other forms of artistic elements. Ballet integrated dance, music, stage design and poetry to make a dramatic storyline.
************
Disco (noun)
Origin: (French)
The name of this music and dance genre is clipped from the French word discothèque, a nightclub for dancing. Disco dancing, made popular in part in the 1970s with the film Saturday Night Fever, is characterised by steps and moves in sync with the rhythmic beats and syncopated electric bass lines of disco music. Much of the choreography borrows from other genres like soul and pop, and from Latin dances like the samba, the tango and the cha-cha.
************
Hooligan (noun)
Origin: Irish
The word is used for a ruffian or hoodlum. There are several theories regarding the origin of the word “hooligan”. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary writes that the word comes from the surname of a rowdy Irish family in a music hall song of the 1890s. But there are other theories.
According to writer Clarence Rook, the word came from Patrick Hoolihan (O’Hooligan or Hooligan), an Irish bouncer and thief who lived in the slums of London. Hooligan was the leader of a gang of small time crooks.
As a word, “hooligan” first appeared in London police-court reports in 1894 for the name of a gang in the Lambeth area of London - the Hooligan Boys. Patrick killed a policeman during a street fight, and was sentenced to life in prison, where he died. Hooligan’s name became so notorious that English newspapers began calling rowdy troublemakers “hooligans” and acts of violence “hooliganism”.
The London newspaper The Daily Graphic used the word “hooliganism” in an article on 22 August 1898. Soon violent and destructive behaviour was called hooliganism. Famous writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells used the word “hooligan” or “hooliganism” in their works in the early 20th century.
