Capricorn 17: A girl surreptitiously bathing in the nude

T h e n o u n gi rl d e s c e n d s f r o m t he M i d d l e E n g l i s h gi rl e , meaning child or girl. Definitions of gi rl i n c l u d e a f e ma l e child, a young woman, and a daughter.1 T h e w o r d s u rr ept i t i ous ly i s f r o m t h e p r e f i x s u r - p l u s t he b a se rep t i p l u s t he s u f f i x - i o us p l u s t he a d v e r b i a l s u f f i x l y . T h e p re f i x d e s c e n d s f r o m t h e I n d o - E u r op e a n ( IE ) r o o t up er w h i c h m e a n s o ve r a n d f r o m w h i c h a l s o d e s ce n d t h e w o r d s s o ve reign , s up e r , o ve r , s up e r - , s u p ra -,

s u p e rb , s up e ri o r, su p re m e , s u r - , s i rl oi n , s u pe rn a l , s u m, s u m m i t , s o p ra n o,
a n d s o m e rs a u lt . 2 Th e b a se d e s ce n d s fr o m t h e I E r o ot r ep - w h i c h m e a n s t o sn a t c h a n d f r o m w h i c h a l s o d e s ce n d t h e w o r d s ra pe , ra p i d, ra pt ,

ra va ge , ra ven ( t o co n s u m e g r e e d i l y ; de v o u r ) , ra vi n ( v o r a c i t y ;
r a p a c i o u s n e s s ) ra vi s h , e re ps i n ( a n e n z y m e c o m p l e x f o u n d i n i n t e st i n a l a n d p a n c r e a t i c j u i ce s ) a n d s u b re pt i o n ( a ca l c u l a t e d m i s re p r e se n t a t i on t h r o u g h c o n c e a l me n t o f t he f a c t s ) . T h e w o r d b at h i n g i s d e s c e n d s f r o m t he I E r o o t bh e- w h i ch m e a n s t o w a r m . 3 I t s p a r o n ym s i n c l u d e b a t he , b a ke , a n d zwi eb a ck . T h e w o r d n ud e d e sc e n d s f r o m t h e I E ro o t n ogw - w hi c h me a n s n a k e d a n d w h i c h a l s o g i v e s r i s e t o t he w o r d s n a ke d , gym n a s i um , gym n a s t , n a an ( a f l a t l e a v e n e d b re a d o f n o r t h w e s t In d i a ) , a n d t h e p r e fi x n u di - . 4

1 2 3 4

http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/girl Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 94 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, p. 8 Watkins, C. (2000), The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo European Roots, pp. 59 Starling Hunter 2011 1

TH EMES : O n e c l e a r t h e m e c on c e r n s AC ROBATIC S . R e ca l l t h a t on e o f t h e p a r o n y m s o f t he p r e fi x s ur- i s s om e rs a u l t , a n a c r o b a t i c f e a t i n w h i c h e i t h e r o f t h e se r o l l s a r e p e r f o r m e d i n m i d a i r , a s i n d i v i n g o r g y m n a s t i c s. 5 T h e n t he r e i s t h e w or d gym n a s t w h i c h i s a p a r on y m o f n u de a n d w h i c h i n c l u d e s a c r o b a t a m o n g i t s synonyms.6

5 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/somersault 6 http://thesaurus.com/browse/gymnast Starling Hunter 2011 2