A few weeks back, an episode of Dirty Jobs featured an extended soliloquy by host Mike Rowe about why guy wires were called that, and how come nobody knew, and how silly it all was. The best answer that they came up with was, "It was probably named after some guy." (I didn't say it was an accurate or useful answer. But it was entertaining.)But hey-- I'm a language guy (no relation)! I can answer it!
The word guy (or its derivatives guy wire or guyline) is likely derived either from the Dutch gei (according to the Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged), or the Old French gui (according to the OED). Both are terms for ropes, originally nautical in context, that held things in place. Both are also probably related etymologically to the word "guide."
No comments:
Post a Comment