ORIGIN OF SEA TERMS.

Putaruru Press, 7 June 1928, Page 5

ORIGIN OF SEA TERMS.

Speaking at the annual dinner of -the Master Mariners’ Company in Xiondon on March 21, Mr Baldwin, the Prime Minister, referred to the origin tof words in common use among Britash mariners. The word “anchor” came to England from the Romans via the 'Angles and the Saxons. The Vikings fcame along to waken them up, and (they left behind the words like “keel,” stern,” and the “wake” of a fehip, which was a phase used for the track through the ice when the Viking’s ship travelled from Norway to {Greenland. From the Bazantine Greeks lour sailors brought back the word “pilot,” which took the place of the Ibid English word “lodesman.” From Italy came “brigantine.”; from the Dutch “skipper,” “lugger” and -‘smack”; from the Spaniards “cargo,” and “binnacle.” Even most of our own lifetime descendants of our own name 1.. in America had sentl across to this ’ (Country the familiar words “schooner” and “clipper.” He wanted to see the seamen’s words, connected with the Sailing ships, kept_ in our own lanjguage, even though the sailing ship might be passing away. Our sailors bad exported our terms into nearly .every language on earth, and he, who always had an immense faith in the plain and simple folk of his country, yrished that the care of the English language might be left to the sailors to look after.. Even within the last ■* generation things new had been named by them—good English words like t- “battleship,” ironclad,” dreadnought,’ jrords that hit you like a hammer. Pther people went floundering about Inventing words like “cinematograph” and “hydro