Word Well Wednesday – Let’s See What Comes Up!

My grandparents had an old-world type well in their backyard.  I’m certain it was merely a garden decoration, though it was substantially built, only lacking the depth of a working well.  I was fascinated with the little structure.  Built of stacked stones, curved with the little roof, complete with the bucket suspended over the “hole”.  There is an element of awe in the mechanics of a working well; lower the bucket and see the water come up.  As a child, I wondered what else would come up in the bucket.

I stumble on words daily that have multiple meanings. The English language is complicated with several definitions for a single word occurring frequently.  Then, there are the words pronounced the same with small spelling differences and completely different meanings or those with same spelling but different syllables accented, slightly changing the pronunciation and with that, the definition.  I find these fascinating and thought provoking. As my grandson learns to read, his memory words have made me realize just how difficult the English language can be with these contrasts.

Some of the word similarities are laughable, others are worthy of moments of pause and deserve a “hmmmm”.  I am introducing a blog feature – Word Well Wednesday – Let’s See What Comes Up!  Every week we’ll visit a word wonder and briefly explore and perhaps, laugh at its meaning, sound and similarities or contrasts.  There are lots of silly words in the well.  As you go through your day, you too may begin to pause each time you encounter one of these word wonders!  Maybe one of the words you stumble upon will come up in our Word Well Wednesday! Enjoy the first installment below.

Waffle (n) – delicious breakfast food

Waffle (v) – waver on a decision

My grandson LOVES waffles!  It’s a simple pleasure at Gamma’s on Saturday mornings during a sleepover.  Who wouldn’t love a crispy, baked cake with hollows for berries and syrup to fill?  It’s a wonderful sweet treat!  As a noun, waffle is yummy.  In contrast, if you waffle on a test or waffle on the direction to go on a freeway, waffling could present a bit of trouble!  Do you ever wonder who decided on the usage of a word?  Were all the combinations of letters to create a unique word for waffling in decision-making used up?  There are a few more grown-up sounding options: vacillating, wavering and, of course, the original, waffling. How did the initiator of the word decide that what he/she was eating would make a great word for indecision?  Surprisingly enough, it looks like the two words originated from completely different parts of the world and one had nothing to do with the other! 

The edible waffle appears to have existed back in ancient Greece. However, more evidence traces its recent existence to Holland and its arrival to America in the 17th century with Dutch immigrants. The name derived from Dutch and Germanic words meaning honeycomb or to weave. Clever imagery considering the waffle texture!

The verb usage of waffle can be traced back to the 1600’s from a Scottish word, waff, “to yelp or bark like a dog”.  Its meaning evolved a hundred years later into “to talk foolishly”.  Another century went by and it further transformed into “to vacillate”. It reminds me of the timeless game of Telephone.  Remember?  One person whispers a word into the next person’s ear.  In turn, that person passes the word he/she heard on to the next person, and so on.  Each player whispers what they thought they heard.  By the time the word gets to the end of the line, rarely is it the same word the first person started with!  Word usage morphs according to the what is heard and may change according to personal interpretation.  Are the results truly random?

Two waffles – same spelling, totally different meanings, completely unique historic roots – and yet, the end result is the same word. A conundrum…why in the English language did we not realize the difficulty, with all the infinite combinations of letters, in using the same spelling of a word to mean completely different things? The relation of a breakfast food and indecision is so far apart! I’ll be pondering the absurdity while I enjoy my waffle.  Bring on the berries and syrup please!