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SUNNY Temp: 69 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Sunday, October 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend September 29, 2003 Since You Asked Even our word guy is stumped A gentleman in a story was described as being a "curmudgeon." I was wondering if anybody knows where the word comes from? — Josephine E, Medford You’ve hit on a question to which even the word guy here at Stately Since You Asked Towers can’t guarantee an answer. Say it ain’t so, Jo! The most common answer is that it comes from the French coeur mechant , or "evil heart." This usage goes back to Samuel Johnson’s famous dictionary. Advertisement But the great Dr. Johnson attributed it to an "unknown correspondent." Author Craig M. Carver traced the word back two centuries further, to 1577. Its original meaning was a nasty-tempered, avaricious fellow. Think Dickens’ Scrooge. One candidate for the word’s origin was cornmudgin , which would have come from Norman French and Middle English and meant "grain-thief." Some experts have even suggested the first syllable is a dog reference. But like Johnson’s evil heart, there is no evidence for this. Still another suggested the Scottish curmurring (grumbling). Even the eminent etymologist Walter Skeat was unable to nail the word down. The only thing we know for sure is that the word somehow shed its miser meaning and came to be applied to a blunt, cantankerous but probably honest person. Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times