This word came up in our Finnegans Wake group tonight. It was actually the word 'irrelevance' (page 249, in case you're wondering), but the word I ended up pondering was 'relevant'. It seemed, well, related to 'relation', but then I started wondering if they had different etymological roots. Wondering if it was really the '-levant' we should be focussing on. We wondered if it was connected to the relevé of dance, which is all about lifting. The part we were reading did seem to be about a dance, so maybe it was more 'relevant' than we thought.
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So yes--lift. It's not a dance move, though. It goes back to the Latin relevare, "to lift or lighten"--in this sense, it's related to "relief". Interestingly, it was originally a Scottish word with a specific legal meaning. It meant "to take up, take possession of property". It took on (up?) its more general meaning of "having a connection to the matter at hand" later. Not quite sure how the drift happened, but words are like that...
I know--irrelevant.
***
So yes--lift. It's not a dance move, though. It goes back to the Latin relevare, "to lift or lighten"--in this sense, it's related to "relief". Interestingly, it was originally a Scottish word with a specific legal meaning. It meant "to take up, take possession of property". It took on (up?) its more general meaning of "having a connection to the matter at hand" later. Not quite sure how the drift happened, but words are like that...
I know--irrelevant.
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Au contraire! C’est relevé!
ReplyDeleteMerci bien, Kathleen. I will have to take your word for that.
ReplyDeleteThat video was great! It makes me tres jealous however. Where does jealous come from?
ReplyDeleteI recall you had pink ballet tights and shoes once...
I know, that's irrelevant too...
Wow, that's a blast from the past. It's not so much irrelevant as totally outmoded. And don't give anyone the idea that I ever even remotely was able to get up en pointe. The most that could be said for me was that I had good turn out. And that was only because I was born with it. Anything I had to work hard at in the dance studio, I declined.
ReplyDeleteWell, I always admired you for it anyway, since I only lasted one day in ballet!
ReplyDeleteWell, I always admired you for it anyway, since I only lasted one day in ballet!
ReplyDeleteSteph is actually the one we should both admire.
ReplyDelete