javasaurus (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
javasaurus) wrote2008-03-24 11:10 am
javasaurus) wrote2008-03-24 11:10 am
Mall. Mall?
Have you ever wondered about the word "mall"? What an odd word, especially as it applies to the big open area in DC and to large enclosed shopping buildings.
The word seems to have its origins, oddly enough, in the Italian maglio which means mallet. Already you can see some connection, eh?
A game called pallamaglio (palla = ball) involved hitting a ball with a mallet through an iron ring, similar to croquette. The game was played in an alley or shaded walkway. In England the game and such an area both acquired the name pall-mall, or simply mall.
From there, the word evolved to mean any area for pedestrians, such as the big open green space between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, or an indoor area lined with shops.
Oddly enough, the expression "pell mell" seems to have no relations to any of the above, coming from the French pele-mele which goes back to the Old French for "to meddle."
The word seems to have its origins, oddly enough, in the Italian maglio which means mallet. Already you can see some connection, eh?
A game called pallamaglio (palla = ball) involved hitting a ball with a mallet through an iron ring, similar to croquette. The game was played in an alley or shaded walkway. In England the game and such an area both acquired the name pall-mall, or simply mall.
From there, the word evolved to mean any area for pedestrians, such as the big open green space between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, or an indoor area lined with shops.
Oddly enough, the expression "pell mell" seems to have no relations to any of the above, coming from the French pele-mele which goes back to the Old French for "to meddle."
no subject
I was having fun teasing Patrick the other day with pronunciations and words in the English language that don't sound at all like they are spelled, mostly names such as St. John (sinjin) and my favorite, my mother-in-laws late,lamented cockatoo, Chomondeley (chumly)