Tuesday, January 26, 2010

How does "trunk" mean both body and nose?


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Why: We just had a long talk about whether our writers would know what the word "truncated" means. (Consensus: Probably not.) Trunk can mean both torso and elephant nose-arm.

Answer: They have different roots!
1. The one meaning "trunk of a tree, trunk of the human body" comes from Latin truncus, "mutilated or cut off" (gross)
2. The one meaning "elephant's snout" probably came from trump, short for "trumpet!"
Source: EtymOnline

The More You Know: And hold the phone, there are 2 more meanings!
3. The one meaning "box or case" comes from Old French tronc, "alms box in a church"
4. The one meaning "luggage compartment of a motor vehicle" doesn't really have old roots because motor vehicles are relatively new!

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