In June many students receive their
diploma, a word ultimately derived from a Greek word meaning
“doubling”, which was used for a paper folded in half. By the
time it came into English in the 1600s, it was being used for
official documents conferring a privilege. Diplomats are called that
because originally they had one of these “diplomas” conferring
official status on them. But very soon thereafter, “diploma” came
to mean a document conferring a degree.
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About Me
- Katherine Barber
- Canada's Word Lady, Katherine Barber is an expert on the English language and a frequent guest on radio and television. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Her witty and informative talks on the stories behind our words are very popular. Contact her at wordlady.barber@gmail.com to book her for speaking engagements; she can tailor her talks to almost any subject. She is also available as an expert witness for lawsuits.
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised. I thought important papers used to be scrolled, rather than folded.
And what about degree??? wich is very far of the french meaning!
ReplyDeletePatrick, Martine's husband and Wordlady fan...
Bonjour Patrick! Degree will be coming up in a future Wordlady.
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