All that surrounds us has its name. We habitually call bread bread, we easily talk on the phone, go to school and work, and in the evenings we leisurely talk with relatives over a cup of tea. And few people are interested (and all the more it is known) that initially the Greeks called bread ("Klibanos") special pots for baking this very product, and the term "tea" in the 17th century meant a medicinal drink. Each word has its own story, sometimes simple and clear, and sometimes confusing and therefore mysterious.
Science etymology
Learning the origin of words is difficult. This is the etymology - one of the sections of linguistics. The very name of science in Greek means "true." The purpose of etymology is to investigate a concept, reveal its origin and prove the connection of one word with another. Unfortunately, the school pays little attention to the study of this section of linguistics, more emphasis is placed on spelling, syntax, morphemic, morphology, etc. In the light of preparations for the required exams, 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 to help
But getting acquainted with the word is easy. For this, special etymological dictionaries have been created. Among the most famous and authoritative are the publications of M. Fasmer, N. Shansky, G. Tsyganenko. The words in them are arranged alphabetically. This makes searching easier. A dictionary entry of a good publication contains information about the language from which the word was taken, and about the approximate time of its appearance. An explanation of the origin is given. For example, analyzing the meaning of the word “book”, we learn from the etymological dictionary that it fell into the Proto-Slavic language from ancient Turkic. There are also thematic manuals in which the desired concepts are united by a common feature (belonging to a profession, some kind of science, etc.).
Have a question
But not always a dictionary can provide comprehensive information. Some objects have entered human life so long ago that tracing their history is problematic. Even linguistic scholars sometimes find it difficult to agree on what root gave rise to the word under study. Therefore, in the dictionaries there are different versions of the origin. Confusion can also arise with the determination of the source. Languages develop, replenish due to borrowings, exchange neologisms. A striking example is the origin of the word book. According to one version, we are obliged by this name to the Chinese language (from the "scroll"), according to another - to the Assyrian ("seal").
Story word book
Before turning to etymology, you need to find out the lexical meaning of a particular unit of speech. The Explanatory Dictionary gives us several explanations of what the word book means:
1. Bound sheets (printed or handwritten) containing any text.
2. Stitched pages filled with official data. Initially, the book consisted of connected handwritten sheets.
How to explain the appearance of this word in antiquity? The etymological dictionary gives a very chaotic explanation of its origin. It is indicated that it is reliably unknown why the book was called a book. From the Chinese language küen (literally "scroll"), this lexical unit was converted to Bulgarian with a diminutive suffix - küinig, and then appeared as a loan in the Proto-Slavic language. Thus, the book got its name due to its original appearance. It is known that the earliest works were framed as scrolls, and not as stitched sheets. But there is another opinion. The word was formed from the pre-Slavic kneti, that is, "nobility" (to know).
Interesting Facts
Looking 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, a “fraudster” can literally be translated as “a specialist in the theft of scribes” (special wallets in Ancient Russia); "doctor" is directly related to the verb "lie." The word "gate" did not have a negative connotation and had the meaning of "speak." But the beloved orange by many was formerly called a Chinese apple. The word has developed in the Dutch language from two bases: appel and sien. The "bride" became such thanks to the fact that before the bridegroom before the wedding the girl could never even see, she was "someone by whom, unknown, unknown." But the word "nonsense" is associated with the name of the French doctor Gali Mathieu, attributing to his patients instead of drugs ... jokes, puns. Currently, this word has a slightly different lexical interpretation. Interesting, isn't it? So the meaning of the word “book” can be the beginning of a fascinating study of the native language.
Good for the mind
It would seem that it makes no difference why the book was called a book ... what gives a person work with different types of dictionaries, searching for answers on the pages of directories? Firstly, interest and attention to the language, to various facts are being formed. Secondly, an erudite person (with a high level of knowledge) 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 nation is mobile, it changes, as a result we become witnesses of new linguistic phenomena. Each etymological study becomes an excursion into the past, sends us to the life, culture and living conditions of the ancestors. Just as any people can not imagine their existence without knowledge of the past, so the study of the native language should begin with an acquaintance with the historical processes that have taken place in it for many hundreds of years.