The study of the origin of words and the historical development of their meanings.
7
votes
0answers
220 views
Why do we say 頼もしい instead of 頼ましい?
In a previous question, I posted a list of adjectives produced from verbs using the しい suffix. In each example, it seems that しい attaches directly to the 未然形:
勇む → 勇ま ＋ しい isam-a-sii
悩む → ...
4
votes
0answers
169 views
Etymology of 赤字/黒字
赤字 and 黒字 seem to correspond directly to the English expressions 'red ink' and 'black ink', meaning a (financial) deficit/loss and surplus, respectively. If Wiktionary is to be trusted, Mandarin, ...
4
votes
0answers
147 views
What is the etymology of お陰で/おかげで and how does the expression relate to the kanji?
If おかげで / "okagede"
is an expression that means
thanks to ...; owing to ...; because of ...;
and the correct (?) kanji that this expression derived from is
陰 as in お陰で
which by ...
