ASL Word Etymology pt. 1
ASL Word Etymology pt. 2
English Word Etymology
English Phrase Etymology
ASL Word Etymology pt. 3
100
STAR
Gesture pointing with index finger to the sky then changed to fit ASL phonology.
100
COOL (key on cheek)
When something is cool, one tends to smile. The sign represents the curve of the mouth.
100
ulotrichous
having wooly or crispy hair
100
"keep your eyes peeled"
The idea of peel is to take the skin off, so to keep your eyes peeled would be to keep the eyelids up.
100
ARGUE
depicts sword fighting duels back in the 1600's
200
ANGRY
From French word "colere" symbolizing boiling up from the heart
200
TOMORROW
In LSF, A-handshape means 1 and moving outward represents the "next day"
200
yarborough
a hand of cards containing no card above 9
200
"rain cats and dogs"
Probably from an old phrase "dogs and polcats", but a more fun one: from when cats and dogs would fall off of sod roofs during the rain.
200
MAN
French men used to wear hats with feathers and lace on their shirts
300
NOT
Borrowed from French hearing gesture (looks like ASL sign NUT) meaning "nothing". Sign was borrowed and integrated into the LSF lexicon meaning "not"
300
NAME
People used to sign their names with an "x"
300
acnestis
the place on your back that you can't seem to scratch
300
"cross my heart"
Cross over=die, so to let my heart die
300
WITCH
1) crooked nose 2) LSF sign for "mean" MECHANT 3) Handshape represents harshness like sign HARD, STRICT
400
TIME
In ancient clocks, the hammer used to tap on the bell. Once the wrist watch was developed the movement was produced on the wrist.
400
CHOCOLATE
LSF sign used H-handshape and became a C-handshape in initialized signing.
400
yepsen
Amount one can carry in the palm of both hands
400
"kick the bucket"
When people were hung for a crime, they had to stand on a bucket. When the bucket was "kicked" they would die from the hanging.
400
ALL-RIGHT
LSF sign translated as "alright" which meant "follow a straight route"
500
AWKWARD
From LSF sign VILLAGE which meant "strange" with V-handshape. Changed to 3-handshape to mean "awkward" now.
500
CONFIDENT
Similar to an LSF sign meaning to "confide in someone" or "heard drawn towards".
500
kakorrhapiophobia
Fear of failure
500
"take the plunge"
From old English, to take a leap forward.
500
GOVERNMENT
During the French revolution, the republican hats had a symbol on the side of the head.
M
e
n
u