An author, philosopher, astronomer, courtier, bureaucrat and diplomat, Geoffrey Chaucer is widely acclaimed as the greatest English poet of Middle Ages. Language and literature evolve over time and authors play a momentous role in it. One such contribution is coining of new words. You may not have been aware, but a large number of words which you use today have been invented by authors. Geoffrey Chaucer is given credit for coining around 2000 words in English. It does not mean that he introduced these words, but for the first time, these words were found in his extensive writings between 1374 & 1386.
Let us learn a few such words.
Plumage
Plumage, which means ‘the covering of feathers on a bird’ is an extension of Latin ‘pluma.’ It was first used by Chaucer in ‘The Squire’s Tale’ where he compares a falcon’s plumage to that of a nobleman.
Example – The tresses of this lady were shining and black, like the plumage of the raven. – The Last of The Mohicans, J. F. Cooper.
Extremely popular in contemporary time, Twitter was first used by Chaucer in ‘The Canterbury Tales’ to describe the sound of birds chirping. Think, how might Chaucer feel about people tweeting if he were alive today?
Example – The twitter of birds, the buzz of insects, the far-off echo of voices, the lowing of cattle, the distant barking of dogs… – The Poison Belt, Arthur Conan Doyle.
Dismembering
This word appeared in The Parson’s Tale where Chaucer actually means Christ’s soul separating from his body due to sin. Today this word means one’s body torn to pieces.
Example – A serial murder was accused of murdering and dismembering a teenage yesterday.
Femininity
Femininity appeared in ‘The Man of The Law’s Tale.’ The meaning of the word is supposed to be womanhood.
Example – She seemed to carry with her the concentrated essence of femininity. – The Malefactor, E. Phillips Oppenheim.
Galaxy
The word has been derived from Latin galaxia, which Chaucer spelled ‘Galaxye’ in ‘The House of Fame.’ He seems to mean the Milky Way.
Example – Thou may’st remember each bright Churchill of the galaxy, and all the toasts of the Kit-cat. – The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, Henry Fielding.
Conclusion – We are aware of many such interesting facts about language because we are a full-time translation agency. We are a team of expert translators who are proficient in translating a range of documents required by employers, courts, universities, hospitals or government agencies. Be it legal document translation services or birth certificates translation, our expert translators can produce an impeccable translation of a document in 30+ languages. Need any help in translating a document? Contact us at: 888-670-3369.