The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #92012   Message #1754387
Posted By: Uncle_DaveO
06-Jun-06 - 04:13 PM
Thread Name: Lyr Req/Add: Stond Horse + The Merry Nightingale
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the stond horse (?)
Some pedantic etymological speculation here:

In the IndoEuropean languages, almost all words and roots starting with "st(vowel)" are from the Sanskrit word (phonetic) "sthay", signifying to stand or be located, more or less.

Thus "stand" (surprise!), "station", and "stop", cited above. Also the second syllable of "conSTItution", and (now I'm getting to it, I think) "stable.

I don't know offhand, and am too lazy to go look it up, but maybe "stallion" is also from "sthay".   If so, we could come up with this fun sentence: "The stallion stood stock-still stationary in a stall, staring stonily at the stationwagon stopped outside the stable in the station." I'm pretty sure that's a "stond horse".