Unusual pairs
You know plenty of words that have double letters in them such as tt and ee. How many words do you know that have these pairs of letters in them?
aa ii hh kk uu vv ww
Think about that question. There might be some English words in your list. There could be some non-English words which we use.
If you live in Australia or New Zealand, you think straight away of yakka.
It is sometimes spelt yacker, yakker or yaker, and comes from an Aboriginal
word. It means work and often appears in the phrase ‘hard yakka’. And everyone
knows aardvark, the name of the mammal that lives in southern Africa. It
comes from words meaning ‘earth-pig’. However, the question now arises: are
these English words?
Aardvark was borrowed about 200 years ago from Afrikaans, the Dutch-based
language of some of the white settlers in South Africa. Yakka was borrowed by
white settlers from an Australian Aboriginal language over 100 years ago. As far
as the English language is concerned, they are young very words. Work has a
history of over 1,500 years. Earth appeared in written documents over 1,000
years ago, in its earlier form eorđe, eorthe. Pig has been around for over 800
years.
Right, you've seen just a few samples. Before you continue, have a good think,
compare notes with someone, do a bit of research... and see what other words you
can find. Then scroll down.
Here are a few other words with unusual pairs of letters. Some of them are not
really ‘English’ but have been borrowed and are in general use. Some have
several different forms — your dictionary might show them as a single word, two
words joined by a hyphen, or two separate words. You can see from the notes how
words came into English at different times, related to exploration and the
development of science — when something ‘new’ is discovered, we need a word for
it!
bazaar
A market or area of small stalls. The word came into English in the 16th century
from Persian.
kraal
A village of huts in southern Africa. The Afrikaans word came into English in
the 18th century. It originates from Portuguese curral, pen, which also gave
rise to corral in North America.
salaam
A Muslim form of greeting, comprising a word and a bow. From Arabic salam,
peace. Related to Hebrew shalom, peace. It has been used in English for about
400 years.
beachhead
An area of an enemy beach that has been captured, ready for the landing of
military forces. This is a 20th century word, adapted from bridgehead, a
fortified area.
fishhook
Some dictionaries have fish-hook. A hook used on a line when angling for fish.
It first appeared in print over 600 years ago as fisch-hook.
hitchhike
To travel by getting free rides in passing vehicles. It first appeared in print
less than 100 years ago.
roughhouse
Some dictionaries have rough-house. Rough behaviour in games, fighting, etc. It
was coined late in the 19th century.
withhold
To hold back, to refuse to give. It appeared in print over 800 years ago as
wiđhalt, withhalt.
genii
This is the plural of genius when that word refers to a person’s guiding spirit
or angel. From ancient Roman mythology. A Latin word which appeared in English
books about 400 years ago. Because of its appearance and spelling, the singular
version genius became genie. We now use genius to denote a very clever person,
and genie for a spirit or angel.
radii
The plural of radius, a straight line from the centre of a circle to any point
on its circumference; half of the diameter of the circle. A Latin word adopted
about 400 years ago.
jackknife
A knife with a blade which is hinged to fold back into the handle. Jack in many
phrases seems to have come from the use of the French Jacques to denote an
ordinary man. A jack-knife was a working man’s knife in the United States in the
early 18th century.
knickknack
Some dictionaries have knick-knack or nick-nack. A small or cheap ornament. It
came into English in the 17th century, but originally meant a trick or a
subterfuge.
pukka
Also spelt pucka. Correctly or properly done; genuine. A Hindu word which came
into English in the 17th century.
quokka
In Australia, a type of small wallaby, now rare. An Aboriginal word which first
appeared in print in the middle of the 19th century.
trekker, trekking
From trek, a long or difficult journey. An Afrikaans word which came into
English from South Africa in the middle of the 19th century.
continuum
In science, a continuous series. Adopted into English in the 17th century. A
Latin word.
vacuum
A space in which there is no matter. A Latin word which was adopted into English
for scientific purposes in the 16th century.
muumuu
In some dictionaries, muu-muu. A loose, brightly coloured dress. A Hawaiian word
that has been used in English for less than 100 years.
divvy
A slang abbreviation of dividend first used in the 19th century.
skivvy
In Australia, a cotton shirt with long sleeves and a polo neck. Mainly in
Britain, a menial female servant. Mainly in the USA, a man's t-shirt. The origin
of this 20th century word is not known.
navvy
Mainly in Britain, a slang word for a labourer on a building site. In Australia,
a labourer on roads, railways, etc. Adapted from navigator in the 19th century.
bowwow
Some dictionaries have bow-wow. An infant or childish word for a dog, or the
bark of a dog. It was first used in print, meaning the sound of a barking dog,
about 400 years ago.
powwow
A talk or conference. Adopted into English in the 17th century from a North
American Indian word.
slowworm
In some dictionaries, slow worm. A type of legless lizard, also called a
blindworm. It appeared in writing over 1,000 years ago as slawerm.