Top 10 Words with Remarkable Origins #1: Eavesdrop
Top 10 Words with Remarkable Origins
#1: Eavesdrop
Originally this word had nothing to do with snooping.
Eavesdrop started off literally: first it referred to the water that fell from the eaves of a house, then it came to mean the ground where that water fell.
Eventually, eavesdropper described someone who stood within the eavesdrop of a house to overhear a conversation inside.
Over time, the word obtained its current meaning: "to listen secretly to what is said in private.http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-unusually-long-words/machiavellianism.html
#1: Eavesdrop
Originally this word had nothing to do with snooping.
Eavesdrop started off literally: first it referred to the water that fell from the eaves of a house, then it came to mean the ground where that water fell.
Eventually, eavesdropper described someone who stood within the eavesdrop of a house to overhear a conversation inside.
Over time, the word obtained its current meaning: "to listen secretly to what is said in private.http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-unusually-long-words/machiavellianism.html
