Word of the day: urchin
Word of the Day: Urchin (noun)
Pronunciation: ['êr-chin]
Definition: A mischievous boy, a brat, especially if a bit soiled and bedraggled.
Usage: An odd thing in English: urchin means "dirty, mischievous little boy" but a "sea urchin" is a sea hedgehog. See today's etymology for the reason.
Suggested Usage: Actually, we more often use today's word to reflect our own attitude toward children who annoy us: "The soccer game was called on account of rain so the little urchins tracked their mud into my kitchen for ice cream." Urchins are rarely our own children, though, "I don't want you to play with that dreadful little urchin down the street any more!"
Etymology: From Old French heriçun (Modern French hérisson ) from Vulgar Latin *hericion-em, a late form of ericius "hedgehog" of the same origin as Greek kher "hedgehog." "Hedgehog" itself is an interesting name since refers to such a small fellow with little overall resemblance to a hog. However, it does have a piggish little snout, a hedge of sorts on his back, and is known for its frequenting of hedgerows. Urchins (=hedgehogs) were erstwhile believed to suck cows dry or even poison them. This associated them with elves and goblins from which mischievous little boys are but a semantic skip and hop.
-Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com
Pronunciation: ['êr-chin]
Definition: A mischievous boy, a brat, especially if a bit soiled and bedraggled.
Usage: An odd thing in English: urchin means "dirty, mischievous little boy" but a "sea urchin" is a sea hedgehog. See today's etymology for the reason.
Suggested Usage: Actually, we more often use today's word to reflect our own attitude toward children who annoy us: "The soccer game was called on account of rain so the little urchins tracked their mud into my kitchen for ice cream." Urchins are rarely our own children, though, "I don't want you to play with that dreadful little urchin down the street any more!"
Etymology: From Old French heriçun (Modern French hérisson ) from Vulgar Latin *hericion-em, a late form of ericius "hedgehog" of the same origin as Greek kher "hedgehog." "Hedgehog" itself is an interesting name since refers to such a small fellow with little overall resemblance to a hog. However, it does have a piggish little snout, a hedge of sorts on his back, and is known for its frequenting of hedgerows. Urchins (=hedgehogs) were erstwhile believed to suck cows dry or even poison them. This associated them with elves and goblins from which mischievous little boys are but a semantic skip and hop.
-Dr. Language, YourDictionary.com