Strange Origins of Iconic Words

From “robot” to “walrus,” there’s no shortage of words with fascinating origins. You might think these terms have dull, scientific roots, but that’s not the case. These are the strange origins of some iconic words that will give you a new perspective on some incredibly common terms.

Clue

It’s a game; it’s a movie; it’s a puzzle piece—“clue” is an iconic word for various reasons. When it comes to the strange origins of iconic words, “clue” is particularly intriguing due to its roots in Greek mythology. A “clew” was a ball of thread that made an appearance in Greek mythology when Theseus used it to escape the labyrinth. Over time, the word became a reference to a form of guidance or direction.

Jeep

Before Jeep was a brand, it was a generic term for military vehicles in World War II. What’s so bizarre about this word is that it has several potential origins, most of which are valid theories. Aside from how many theories there are, what’s even more bizarre is how eclectic they are. Some folks theorize “jeep” became such a common term during WWII because soldiers on the battlefield were fans of “Eugene the Jeep,” a comic character who made his debut in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre.

Another theory is that the term was a holdover from WWI, where “jeep” was used to reference new recruits and became a popular term for referencing untested military vehicles. Even today, despite the handful of theories out there, the actual reason for “jeep” becoming such a popular term during WWII is unclear.

Robot

The origin of the word “robot” has its roots in a Czech term that sounds pleasant but is quite sinister: robota, which translates to “forced labor.” The term “robot” itself came to fruition thanks to Karel Capek’s 1920 play R.U.R., or Rossum’s Universal Robots. However, Karel Capek himself didn’t up with the word “robot”—his brother Josef has those honors.

Walrus

First off, the word “walrus” is funny because it’s apparently a Dutch word that loosely translates to “whale-horse,” thanks to a fumble in the translation of a few Old Norse terms. However, the tale of this word’s origin is stranger than that. Famed author J.R.R. Tolkien himself did the research regarding the etymology of this word while working for the Oxford English Dictionary a century ago. In fact, at one time, Tolkien had six different etymological proposals for the word “walrus.”