Word of the Day: June 12, 2009 - eddy

eddy (ed-ee) - noun

An eddy is "a current, as of water or air, moving contrary to the direction of the main current, especially in a circular motion."

First used in the written form around 1425–1475. The ultimate source of eddy appears to be a prehistoric Germanic particle meaning "back again," represented in Old English by ed-, in Old High German by et-, and in Old Norse by ith- (it is related to Latin et and its various Romance descendants, such as French et and Italian ed.) According to this theory an eddy would thus be "water that flows back." What is not altogether clear though, is precisely how that prehistoric particle became eddy.Perhaps the most likely candidate as the missing link is Old Norse itha, meaning "whirlpool," but it has also been suggested that Old English may have had a word edwaeg, whose second element, "wave" would be related to English way and vogue.