5 Weird Adjective Origins

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"What is something that literally everything in existence has in common? It all has a name! With Name Explain, you can learn the origins of these names. From countries and cities to toys and animals to even planets, learn the etymology of interesting words in a fun and entertaining way.”

[keroppibptista]

Bottomless abyss means bottomless bottomless

[CharlesStearman]

According to Terry Pratchett (in the novel "Good Omens") "nice" can also mean "scrupulously exact".

[kailomonkey]

I'd say 'nice' still has a connotation of being nothing spectacular, or an optional connotation that makes it worth picking a different word. Like, someone kind sounds deliberately caring, but someone nice sounds pleasant but maybe without conviction or purpose. They just are nice.

As for abyssmal there's an alternate word 'abyssal' which has the original meaning, but I've rarely heard or seen it used. They look and sound so similar we might not even notice the rarer word being used, or mistake it for an error.

[pretzelbomb]

And nowadays we use abysmal purely in the metaphorical sense with the literal sense being taken over by “abyssal”.

[PongoXBongo]

Perhaps "nice" equating with "luxury" was by way of having "more money than sense"? Being so wealthy that they could get away with being foolish with their finances.

[HalfEye]

In German in my youth the adjective "geil"somewhat change its meaning from "horny" to "very good". I think thats some part of youth-language, which sticks around.

A german word is an adjective with a rather weird change, where I don't know the reason. Its the word "toll", which means nowaday something like "great". Its origin is more like "someone has rabies" or so. Its still around in "Tollkirsche" ("deadly nightshade").

[kyelwastaken]

hi name explain, big fan from Malaysia here! I love your videos so I'm going to buy your book. can't wait to read it!

[jorgelotr]

7:56 easy: "nice" meant "fool", and back then giving in to luxury was most likely seen as something done by fools, until it wasn't (for a time) and the word got tied exclusively to luxury, and then, as you say, luxury->refined->good->kind. (I would guess that "nice things" would be things that rich, elegant people would have and "nice behaviour" the behaviour expected *on paper* from a rich person, i.e. polite, well-spoken, generous and mild-mannered.)

I mostly got this evolution just seeing that in my language the word that comes from "nescius" keeps its original meaning, and in old texts from around when "nice" meant "luxurious" people that lived luxuriant and dissolute lives were decried with that word.

[kandipiatkowski]

I guess the etymology of "nice" would go with the saying "nice guys (and girls) finish last". It certainly describes the reason I have been so unlucky in just too nice....lol

[christopherbentley]

Takes my mind back to 'Morecambe & Wise' when one of Ernie's plays was being reviewed with Eric looking over the shoulder of the person writing the review and remarking "There's only one 'b' in abysmal".

[chris]

I don't know what he said after inspector gadget... all I could hear was "🎶🎵do da do da doo inspector gadget"

[NVKEERTHANA]

I've somehow always thought humdrum meant something lively. Like humdrum of the city meant the noise and chaos of the city. Apparently I thought wrong.

[taitano]

Recall that luxury and vanity for their own sake are often associated with stupidity, even by those who can afford it - especially if they can afford it but recognize the pointlessness of a particular luxury. Some luxury has commemorative, ceremonial, and similar value. But most have a pointlessness that makes many - sometimes most - who can afford it not want to own it. Renting a supercar, for example. Why waste money on something like that, when you can just rent it?

The move to meaning posh and high class should be obvious. And, from there to meaning "a nice person", for example, comes from people who are posh and well mannered tending to be very nice people - even if they're anything but good.

[happybeejv]

I'm pretty sure the transitional point between ignorance meaning good was that it meant quiet, as in dumb
But then Victorians decided being quiet is good so
That nice went from ignorant to quiet(dumb) to quiet(respectfully) which is nice
But dumb went from quiet to stupid as in the original meaning of nice.

[nedludd]

I suppose you have "sophisticated" in one of your books.

[michaelhaywood]

The abyss is sometimes used to mean hell, which is sometimes described as the bottomless pit.

[staffanlinnaeus]

I found in an etymological dictionary that "silly" used to mean "happy" (like German "selig").

[wendychavez]

I am the proud owner of both your books 😊 My favorite bookstore didn't have them in stock, though it's very easy to have them order them for me, and im sure they ordered a few of them so others could read them too. Everybody wins!

[misterscott]

In all lightheartedness: Are you ever going to recover from the cold you sound like you have? I'm Californian, so I probably sound silly to you. Cheers mate!

[treueeckhardt]

The Spanish word "necio" is still used to mean foolish. Am I right, Spanish speakers?