"Hello again Word Lovers!" This episode is going to explore the world of Angels & Devils!
Beelzebub : We kick off with some different theories on the origin of the name Beelzebub. It seems t be accepted that this is a derivation of "Lord of the flies" which came about as a taunt or mockery, but Robert Fripp the guitar player with King Crimson has other ideas!
Lucifer : The Carrier of Light or head of demons.
Demons: The world was awash with Daimones in the Middle Ages, spirits that shared our world with us. As Christianity expanded, the unseen world became divided between the good Angels and the bad demons.
Ghoul : From Arabic Ghul, a maligned spirit that robs graveyards.
Macabre: From Arabic Maq´bir = graves from root qabar "to bury".
Angel : Angelos, A messenger, originally in Sanskrit a Messenger on a horse. Old English enjoyed the fabulous Aerendgast which has fallen out of favour in the modern tongue.
God : From the PIE root ghut meaning something you invoke. This may come as a surprise, as many believe there is a clear connection between God and Good (Ed: Which is a etymological observation not a philosophical one!). The journey of this word is an interesting one and Charly explores it further.
Enthusiastic : Originally meant "Inspired by God"
Explore the full Interesting Etymologies series archive here