5 Words that Come from the Moon

5 Words that Come from the Moon 5 Words that Come from the Moon Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon. Unfortunately, all they brought back were some rocks. But the moon has given us many things, including several words! So let’s celebrate this landmark in space exploration by looking at the etymology of â€Å"moon,† plus five words it has inspired. Moon Etymology The word â€Å"moon† has a long history, which is unsurprising given that it’s a massive glowing orb in the night’s sky that has been around for longer than human language. We can, however, trace it back to both the Middle English mone and the Old English mona. Further back, it may come from the Proto-Indo-European term *me(n)ses- and the root *me-, meaning â€Å"measure.† Here, we see how people have used the waxing and waning of the moon to measure the passage of time since†¦ well, since we’ve had any notion of time passing. Waxing and waning(Image: Orion 8/wikimedia) Another term we may want to look at is â€Å"lunar,† an adjective meaning â€Å"related to the moon.† This comes from the noun luna, an old-fashioned word with origins in the PIE root *leuk-, meaning â€Å"light† or â€Å"brightness.† And here we see the importance of the moon as a source of light at night. But how have these terms influenced modern English? Let’s take a look. 5 Words that Come from the Moon There are many, many words with a connection to our lunar neighbor. And we won’t even touch on figures of speech such as over the moon and once in a blue moon. But we will look at five of our favorite moon-derived terms to see where exactly they come from. 1. Moon as a Verb As well as a noun, â€Å"moon† has picked up two key uses as a verb over the years: To act absent-mindedly, often through distraction (e.g., to â€Å"moon over† someone or to â€Å"moon around† the house when you have nothing to do). To expose one’s buttocks as a joke or insult. The first of these is probably related to the word â€Å"moonstruck,† which reflected an old belief that the moon could affect people’s behavior (more on that below). The second comes from the fact that buttocks can be pale and round, much like a certain feature of the night’s sky. We hope learning this doesn’t prompt you to see the moon as a big sky buttock, though. 2. Month Originally, a â€Å"month† was literally the time between one new moon and the next one. As such, we can find connections between â€Å"moon† and â€Å"month† in many European languages. In fact, the PIE term *me(n)ses- above may have originally meant both â€Å"moon† and â€Å"month.† Another word we get from â€Å"moon† is â€Å"Monday,† which literally means â€Å"day of the moon.† We also see this in the German Montag, as well as the French lundi, the Spanish word lunes, and the Italian term lunedi. 3. Menstruation Moving on from â€Å"month,† we have a monthly cycle: menstruation. In fact, â€Å"menstruation† and â€Å"menses† come from Latin and Greek words meaning â€Å"month† (mensis) and â€Å"moon† (mene). Some people also believe their menstrual cycles sync up with the lunar cycle. However, there is no scientific evidence for this, so it is probably a myth. 4. Lunatic Above, we mentioned the old belief that the moon can affect people’s behavior. We see this most clearly in the word â€Å"lunatic,† which now refers to someone who behaves erratically. Not that long ago, though, â€Å"lunatic† was a word for someone suffering from mental illness. And some people still believe the moon can affect our behavior. But medical science has moved on from such ideas, so we do not use this word to refer to mental illness any more. 5. Moonshine What better way to finish our list than with a drink? Having said that, we’re not sure how many of you would pick moonshine as your beverage of choice. If you buy moonshine today, it will probably be from a shop. But the term was first applied to smuggled or illegally distilled liquor, illicit activities that always occurred at night. It may also be related to the word â€Å"moonraker,† which is associated with English smugglers for the same reason. Thank You, Moon Finally, let us say a brief thank you to the moon. Sure, with modern science we know it’s a big hunk of rock that just sits in the sky, not some god or goddess watching over us. But it has been with us since before humanity had the gall to shape tools from flint, never mind strap ourselves to rockets and blast off into the void to pay it a visit. And we see that influence across human culture, art and – as shown above – language. We salute you, moon! As a species, then, we owe the moon a lot. And that’s before we even get on to its role in controlling the tides. So next time you use the word â€Å"month† or â€Å"menstruation,† spare a thought for our lunar friend.

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You

Geography Homework Help 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You Geography Homework Help: 4 Introduction Hooks to Make Your Audience Listen to You What is the most important part of an essay? A hook! The introduction to an essay must be interesting and leave a reader wanting to know more. So, they will keep reading to the end. If you’ve come for some geography homework help with this matter, then, keep on reading! Have you ever read the first page of a book or the first paragraph of a story and stopped understanding if it was destined for you? We all have! This is why the first part of your essay is so important. If your professor doesn’t feel this way and is intrigued to keep going, then, you will earn a better grade! There are a few good ways to attract readers grab some examples! 1.   Use an Interesting Stat That Relates to Your Topic ‘Canada has 561 lakes.’ The fact that draws readers’ attention must be impactful or surprising. Many things that we don’t know are surprising. You want your reader to know that they will learn something new. Giving them a fact stirs up their interest and leaves them wanting to see where you are going with your data. 2. Say Something Controversial ‘China needs to abolish their one-child policy in order for their cultural survival.’ Bringing up an issue that seems controversial will undoubtedly meet with a reaction. It really doesn’t matter what kind of reaction it is because that reaction is something that will make your audience listen to you. They will want to hear your arguments in order to solidify their beliefs or hear them find loopholes to argue against. Either way, you’ve won! 3. Be Blunt ‘In this essay, you will discover the little-known mystery of how North America came into being.’ Sometimes, stating a content of your paper will be good enough to make everyone want to listen. In this case, the hook is already taken care of! Just state what you intend to talk about, and you can also add what you expect a reader to gain from it. 4. Make it Personal ‘Seeing a washed-up bag during my latest visit to the beach got me thinking about how items can travel across oceans and what that means for different civilizations. Although it is rare in academic writing, you can get away with using the first person if you do it very seldom. A bit of a personal anecdote or background can be a great hook because it makes readers connect with an author. It is an unusual way to begin a formal homework assignment. Do it carefully and make sure it fully corresponds! Though there are many ways to grab attention. Using a statistic, a strong opinion, being upfront, or speaking from the heart are all good ways of guiding your reader naturally into what you really want to say. They will soon be captivated! There is no better feeling than writing something that people truly enjoy reading. As a matter of fact, our expert writers can provide you with outstanding-quality custom homework writing on any geography topic.