A word a day
Middle English, from Latin
bellicosus, from
bellicus of war, from
bellum war
tartar :
noun
1: a person of irritable or violent temper
2: one that proves to be unexpectedly formidable
"Strange that one whom I have described hitherto as so timid and easily put upon should prove such a Tartar all of a sudden on the day of his marriage." — From Samuel Butler's 1903 autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh
Originally, their name was "Tatar," not "Tartar." Since at least the
1200s, the Tatar people have lived in Asia and Eastern Europe, and they
were among the fiercest fighters of the Golden Horde of the Mongols. In
the 13th century, they rode with Genghis Khan and became the terror of
their day. Their name, "Tatar," is believed to come from Persian or a
Turkic language, but in Europe it was associated with "Tartarus," the
Latin name for the part of Hell reserved for the punishment of the
wicked. Because of that association, English speakers began calling the
Tatar people "Tartars." Over time, "tartar" came to be used for anyone
considered as ferocious or violent as the Tartar warriors who had once
ransacked the ancient world.
A thought for the day
The
real leader has no need to lead--
he is content to point the way.
Henry Miller
