National Glamour Day

The Kate in this picture is into glamour; the Kate writing this post is into grammar

Well, apparently it's National Grammar Day. I don't know where these "days" originate and don't usually observe them, but hey, I'm as much of a sucker for people clicking on my site as other people, so I am going to share the surprising history of the word "grammar".

"Grammar" comes ultimately from the Greek word gramma (a letter of the alphabet or something written). In theory, "grammar" in the Middle Ages meant the study of language, but in practice it meant only the study of Latin, because Latin was the only language that was taught using the study of structures. People probably weren't even aware that languages like English, French, and German even had something that could be called "grammar". Many students are probably wishing at this point that we could go back to those innocent days.

Grammar is magic

Because "grammar" meant the knowledge or study of Latin, it was also used to mean the knowledge of those who belonged to the learned class, and this knowledge was thought to include magic and astrology. So "grammar" or "gramarye" could mean "magic" or "occult learning" as well.

Grammar is beauty
 
Yet another variant of this word was "glomery", which the Scots changed to "glamour" in the early 1700s, still with this association with the occult. So "glamour" started out in Scots English meaning "magic" or "spell". Then Sir Walter Scott used it  in this sense. Because Scott's novels were such big bestsellers, this Scottish word became very popular, shifting in sense to mean a kind of bewitching beauty, and gradually acquiring its current sense of highly refined beauty or attractiveness. 

When I was a teenager, my sister and I used to read Glamour  magazine (you would never be able to tell by looking at me now). I bet it wouldn't sell half so well if it were called Grammar magazine!

Grammar is glamour

So, unlikely as it may seem, grammar and glamour have the same origin.

A couple of spelling issues with "glamour". 

1. Even Americans spell it this way; there is no "glamor" variant listed in the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary. This is because its history is different from other words ending in -our/or (for which click here: http://katherinebarber.blogspot.ca/2011/07/discouver-vancouver.html)
2. Just to be annoying, however, the adjective derived from "glamour" is spelled "glamorous" by everyone.  This maintains the pattern established by such pairs as "humour/humorous", "odour/odorous", "rigour/rigorous" etc.

May 18 & 19 "Tea and Wordlady": Hebrew and Yiddish Words in English is filling up. Book before the end of March. You don't need to know anything about Hebrew or Yiddish to enjoy this presentation. For information, click here: 
http://katherinebarber.blogspot.ca/2016/02/tea-and-wordlady-hebrew-yiddish-in.html 

March 16 "Tea and Wordlady": Bachelor for Rent: Things You Never Suspected About Canadian English is now SOLD OUT!  

P.S. If you find the English language fascinating, you might enjoy regular updates about English usage and word origins from Wordlady. Receive every new post delivered right to your inbox! You can either:

use the subscribe window at the top of this page

OR

(if you are reading this on a mobile device): send me an email with the subject line SUBSCRIBE at wordlady.barber@gmail.com

Privacy policy: we will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. You can unsubscribe at any point.

Follow me on twitter: @thewordlady