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Because a prude is prudent when it comes to sexual matters, you might assume that "prude" and "prudent" share the same origins. But that assumption, as George H. W. Bush liked to say, "wouldn't be prudent."

"Prude" derives from the French "prudefemme" (good woman), the feminine version of "prud'homme" (good man).

But "prudent" evolved from the Latin "prudens," a contraction of "providens," from "pro" (forward) and "videre" (to see ahead.)

"Prude" and "prudent" are "false twins" -- words that, while close in spelling and meaning, don't share the same parents. Let's perform more genetic testing.

-- Rivulet and river: Because both words describe watercourses, they appear to be siblings. Dam that notion!

In fact, "rivulet" derives from "rivoletto," the Italian word for a small stream. It comes from the Latin "rivulus," a diminutive of "rivus" (stream). But "river" descends from the Latin "ripa," (riverbank, shore).

-- Espresso and express: You might assume that "espresso," often mispronounced as "expresso," refers to some speedy or "express" process by which this coffee is made.

"Espresso" is so called because it's brewed by forcing or pressing steam or boiling water through finely ground coffee beans. Likewise, the verb "express" originally referred to pressing out ideas and feelings, and as an adjective came to mean "speedy."

-- Root out and root: Similarly, the verb phrase "root out" would appear to be connected with digging out the roots of something.

The "root" in "root out" comes from the Old English "wrotan," a word linked to the Old English "wort" (snout) -- the part of a pig's body used to root through the dirt. But the "root" that means the underground part of a plant derives from an Old English word for plant, "wyrt."

But what about the "root" that means "to cheer for a team"?

Amazingly enough, no one has been able to root out the true origin of this Americanism that first appeared during the 1880s. In a 2023 article for the Christian Science Monitor, Melissa Mohr described three theories:

1. Fans have their "roots" in the town or city of their home team, and thus are "rooted" to the team as well.

2. In dialects of northern Britain and Ireland, the verb "rout" (pronounced "root") means "to roar, shout."

3. Fans cheering for their teams make noises like rooting hogs.

Based on my own experiences sitting in the rowdier sections of football and baseball stadiums, I'm going with the last explanation.

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Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS.COM

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