The m-word

[Charles Doyle]

You'd think that "misty" and "moisty" might be distantly cognate, but evidently they aren't. "Mist" seems to go back to an IU root meaning "urinate" (cf. "micturate"), whereas "moist" comes from L "mucus"! Pokorny's note on the root "meug-" is interesting: 'slimy, slippery; with derivatives referring to various wet or slimy substances and conditions'; possible derivatives include OE "smok" ('smock'), MHG "smuck" ('clothing', from whence "Schmuck" 'jewel'!) and the Greek-derived "-mycin" words, having to do with fungus or mold.

I'm starting to think the word "moist" IS disgusting--and "misty" too!

Just to clarify: My student and her sisters were not being outraged at my use of the word--rather amused that I should be so clueless as not to recognize the indelicacy of it.

--Charlie
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---- Original message ----
>Date: Thu, 25 Oct 2007 22:35:51 -0400
>From: Kate Daly <kdaly973 at VERIZON.NET>
>
>As in the old nursery rhyme "One misty moisty morning"?
>
>And btw - speaking as a woman, and a feminist from way back at that, the idea of "moist" being offensive sounds pretty silly to me. I think the original poster's student was making snowballs for other people to throw.
>-Kate

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