November I'll be blogging about the alphabet and etymology.
S, s: From the Phoenician
shin, “tooth,” the original letter looked a good deal more fang-like than its modern incarnation. The Greek
sigma resembles shin laid on end, but the earliest form of sigma was a backwards
Z. It was from this earlier form that the Etruscans, and later the Romans, derived our current
S. S has the distinction of being the only letter to become the name of a US president; the
S in Harry
S Truman, does not stand for anything; his middle name is only an initial.
spork: An appropriate portmanteau of spoon and fork for an object which itself is a portmanteau. One knows hearing the word for the first time, precisely what it is, and that it will be made of white plastic.
Coming November 30th, Return of the Stoopid Contest!
