An ocean of depth
In English, anything related to the ocean or sea is “marine”. A boat that moves underwater, for example, is a submarine (literally, “below the ocean”). Whales and squids and sharks, etc., are marine animals ("ocean animals"). A person who studies these animals is a marine biologist ("a studier of ocean life"). Aquamarine is the color of "ocean water". There’s a branch of the United States military called the US Marine Corps. They travel by sea.
Additionally, things related to sailing are “nautical” (“NAW-tih-kull”). Tools and machines that help sailors go the correct direction, or measure their speed, are nautical instruments. Sailors use nautical charts (maps). Words and phrases related to boats or ships are nautical terms.
Which brings me to the point of this post:
In current English, to be made physically sick by something (meaning, you may throw up) – bad food, a virus or bacteria, even an idea – is to be “nauseated”.
“Nauseate" comes from the Latin word “nauseare” – meaning, “to be seasick”. And, further back, from the Greek word "naus" – meaning, "ship".
I cannot believe I never noticed the “nautical” connection! It's right there in the spelling: nauseate.
Words are so cool.
Words are so cool
When I was younger, and my dad was still alive, we would occasionally discover new words or interesting facts, etc., and send them to each other. He was interested in many of the things I am, especially words and history, so these discoveries would always spark a fun conversation.
Words are especially cool. Because they evolve over time, they have their own histories, some short ("lol") and some very long ("mother"). They tell stories, both about the way we use them (and how those uses have changed) and about us as a speaking/writing people.
Since my dad died, I have no one to share these odd discoveries with. Maybe I'll post them here instead. This blog won’t be updated frequently, and it won’t always be about words (maybe not even about English), but perhaps it will be interesting whenever it is updated.