"I'm ruthless! I have no ruths!" - Doofenshmirtz
It suddenly dawned on me that I have no idea about the root or origin of the word ruthless. It always bothers me when I encounter a word I can't define or explain. I can define this one, but I cannot explain it. So in all of my weird obsessiveness, I went about looking up 'ruthless' to see where it had originated. I found this. http://www.one-step-forward.net/2009/04/word-tidbits-ruthless.html
It is crazy when you start delving into language, and discover just how much of it we have lost over time. There are so many times I'm stuck for a word to describe something, when none of the words I know really fit. Then I read something like that post, and I just want to make people start speaking and writing properly, and completely. I want all the words back.
I know I'm probably very much on my own here, both with my adoration of words and language, and with my sadness at losing more and more of our story along with the language. I can't even bring myself to use 'U' for 'you' in a text or any other of those abbreviations and misspellings. I like words too much. Complete words. Correctly spelled and properly used words. Where are we without them, after all?
If you have managed to read this little musing of mine without nodding off, you are quite simply, ruthful. You really are.
2 comments:
My husband and I always joke about being 'gruntled' for the opposite of disgruntled. So I enjoyed reading this post! Nice to know that we are not the only ones who think about words and what they mean.
I love gruntled! Must start using that. It's you, me, your husband and my sister apparently. We'll be the old fogies harping "It's than, not then!" etc. Good to know I'm not alone! Odd, maybe, but not alone. ;)
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