To the origins of the word: why the book was called a book?

All that surrounds us has its own name. Bread we habitually call bread, we talk without ceremony on the phone, we go to school and work, in the evenings we talk leisurely with our family over a cup of tea. And very few people are interested (and even more so it is known) that originally Greeks called bread ("klibanos") special pots for baking this very product, and under the concept of "tea" in the 17th century they meant a therapeutic drink. Each word has its own story, sometimes simple and understandable, and sometimes confusing and therefore mysterious.

Science etymology

Learning the origin of words is difficult. This is the work of etymology - one of the sections of linguistics. The very name of science in Greek means "true." The goal of etymology is to explore the concept, to reveal its origin and to prove the relationship of one word to another. Unfortunately, the school pays little attention to the study of this section of linguistics, more emphasis is placed on spelling, syntax, morphology, morphology, etc. In light of the preparation for compulsory examinations, this, of course, is justified. But in the end, most students are not interested in the past words and can not answer the question: "Why was the book called a book?"

Etymological dictionary for help

But it's easy to get acquainted with the word. To do this, special etymological dictionaries have been created . Among the most famous and authoritative are the editions of M. Fasmer, N. Shansky, G. Tsyganenko. The words in them are arranged in alphabetical order. This makes it easier to search. The dictionary entry of a good publication contains information about the language from which the word was taken, and the approximate time of its appearance. The origin is explained. For example, analyzing the meaning of the word "book", we learn from the etymological dictionary that it fell into the Proto-Slavic language from the ancient Türkic language. There are also thematic manuals, in which the desired concepts are united by a common sign (belonging to the profession, to some science, etc.).

There is a question

But not always a dictionary can provide exhaustive information. Some objects entered the life of a man so long ago that it is problematic to trace their history. Even linguistic scholars sometimes find it difficult to come to a common opinion as to which root gave rise to the word under investigation. Therefore, different versions of the origin are found in the dictionaries. Confusion can arise with the definition of the source. Languages develop, replenish through borrowing, exchange neologisms. A vivid example is the origin of the word book. According to one version, we owe this name to the Chinese language (from the "scroll"), on the other - to the Assyrian ("seal").

History of the word book

Before turning to etymology, it is necessary to know the lexical meaning of one or another unit of speech. The explanatory dictionary gives us several explanations of what the word book means:

1. Interlaced sheets (printed or handwritten) containing any text.

2. Stitched pages filled with official data. Originally the book was a connected manuscript sheet.

How can we explain the appearance of this word in the old days? The etymological dictionary gives a very chaotic explanation of its origin. It is indicated that it is not known exactly why the book was called a book. From the Chinese language küen (literally "scroll") this lexical unit passed into the Bulgarian with a diminutive-affectionate suffix - küinig, and then appeared as a borrowing in the Proto-Slavonic language. Thus, the book got its name due to its original appearance. It is known that the earliest works were made out as scrolls, and not as stitched sheets. But there is another opinion. The word was formed from the Proto-Slavonic "kneti", that is, the "nobility" (nobility).

Interesting Facts

Searching for the answer to the question "why the book was called a book," you can learn a lot of interesting things about other words that live in our language. For example, "swindler" can literally be translated as "specialist in theft from Moson" (special wallets in Ancient Rus); "Doctor" directly relates to the verb "to lie." The word "giri" did not have a negative connotation and it meant "talking". But the orange favorite by many was called earlier the Chinese apple. The word has developed in the Dutch language from two fundamentals: appel and sien. "The bride" has become so due to the fact that previously the groom before the wedding the girl could not even ever see, she was to him "unknown to anyone, unknown, unknown." But the word "nonsense" is associated with the name of the French doctor Gali Mathieu, attributing to his patients instead of medicines ... jokes, puns. Currently, this word has a slightly different lexical interpretation. It is interesting, is not it? So the meaning of the word "book" can be the beginning of the most fascinating study of the native language.

With the benefit of the mind

It would seem, what difference does it make why a book was called a book ... what gives a person work with different types of dictionaries, searching for answers in the pages of reference books? First, interest and attention to the language, to various facts are formed. Secondly, an erudite person (with a high level of cognition) always stands out in society. Thirdly, self-improvement and self-education is the key to success, as well as the opportunity to increase self-esteem.

The language of any people is mobile, it changes, as a result we become witnesses of new language phenomena. Each etymological study becomes an excursion into the past, sends us to the way of life, culture and the conditions of the ancestors' residence. As any people do not think of their existence without knowledge of the past, the study of their native language must begin with an acquaintance with the historical processes that took place in it for many hundreds of years.