Resolutions
When trying to reach a goal, whether
New Year’s resolution or otherwise, what works best for you? Coercing
or compelling yourself? Promising, encouraging or goading yourself? Or
maybe wishing? Do any of these words’ etymologies throw light on who
you are or how you reach your goals?
The word wish came from the Old
English word wyscan, meaning to strive after, wish,
desire, or be satisfied.
To
coerce
is to control or restrain, &
appeared in English in the1400s from the French word cohercer. It most likely came from a Proto-Indo-European word
meaning to hold, contain or guard.
Compel comes from the Old French
word compeller, which was derived
from a Latin word meaning to drive together,
to force.
The
noun promise
showed up in the 1400s, meaning declaration
made about the future, about some act to be done or not done. The verb
showed up within a century, meaning to
send forth or foretell.
Encourage came to English in the 1400s from the French word encoragier, meaning to make strong or to hearten – it’s
related to the word courage.
The verb goad came from the Old
English noun gad, meaning point,
spearhead or arrowhead,
When it comes to resolutions, I find it
fascinating that since the 1400s the first meaning of the word resolution
has been a breaking into parts.
Doesn’t our success in reaching some big goal almost always involve exactly
that? No significant success is simple. By the 1540s, resolution’s adjectival
sibling resolute picked up the meaning holding firmly.
What verb above helps you hold firmly to your goals or resolutions? Striving?
Containment? Force? Foretelling? Poking
yourself with a spearhead? Are there other verbs I left out? Please let me
know in the comments section.