Chrysti The Wordsmith: Sheep Terms - 4

Greetings I'm Christie the wordsmith sheep domesticated approximately 9000 years ago in the Middle East have not only provided humans with milk and wool they've also supplied our language with a host of terms and metaphors during the last few words with additions. We've examined such expressions as to fleece and to pull the wool over someone's eyes. Today we'll look at a pair of terms that may not at first appear to be sheep related. Upon closer inspection however the words reveal their ovine inspiration a male sheep kept for breeding purposes is a ram. This creature's name derives from a word an old Norse. The language of Norway spoken in the ninth century and means strong Rams with their impressive curled horns and headbutting behavior are certainly exemplars of strength pummelling devices called battering rams are strong for the purpose and share an etymology with the word for male sheep. Add the letters b l e to RAM and we have ramble a verb which today

means to saunter or in speaking to digress or stray from the topic. Now how would this word relate to the male sheep represented in its first syllable ramble. Well etymologically the word means to wander a radically like a ram in breeding season looking for receptive use. I'm Christi the wordsmith. Good Dave herbivores. CHRISTIE The wordsmith is sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Zoot enterprises a high tech firm in Bozeman Montana offering challenging careers and innovative solutions for the financial services industry. Zoot web dot com.