The m-word

Charles Doyle cdoyle at UGA.EDU
Fri Oct 26 13:00:20 UTC 2007


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
_____________________________________________________________

---- 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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