Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Swine, Pig, Pork

Okay, "Swine Flu." Why not "Pig Flu" or Hog Flu?"

Swine (n) - Pig. From the Old German word that came down to modern German as Schwein. Schweinhund = pig-dog, clearly a big insult in Germany.

Pig (n) - Swine. This is the Old English word, the origins are lost in the mists of the moors. Pig Latin dates to 1937 college-speak.

Pork (n) - Pig flesh. From the Latin version of pig,
porcus.

Hog (n) - Big pig. Possibly Celtic origins.

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