ETYMOLOGY 101

This week’s spotlight word is fun to use as an insult; i.e. “You libidinous strumpet.” No one will know exactly what you mean, but they’ll know you insulted them, and resent your use of intelligent words to do it.
               Libidinous comes from the Latin word libidinosus, which means “full of desire” or “lustful.” It in turn comes from the more familiar Latin libido, which we now associate with the human sex drive, and any emotions linked to sexuality.
               The term was first applied in this manner by Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis. Freud believed the libido was the most basic and powerful human drive, one that was developed during infancy. As an individual progressed through certain life stages, the libido would change, from focusing on the mouth (such as when an infant suckles at its mother’s breast) to focusing on the sexual organs (such as when a person advances through puberty).
               Later psychoanalysts, such as Carl Jung, questioned Freud’s emphasis on the biological development of the libido. Jung believed social pressures were a significant factor in shaping sexual desires, a view that is largely held today. Sources: www.etymonline.com, www.hindustanlink.com/sex/sexglossary/libido.htm.

NEAT-O
WHY WE FOOL EACH OTHER ON APRIL 1

The reasons we subject each other to harmless pranks on the first day of April are shrouded in a veil of mystery, like so much else in this world. If only our ancestors had taken care to write these kinds of things down! Silly, uneducated peasants.
               The most widely circulated theory holds that April Fool’s Day is the product of a calendar switch. When the western world made the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the 16th century, the day on which the new year fell changed. Under the old Julian calendar, the new year began on March 25, but festivities celebrating this event did not begin until April 1, since March 25 fell during Holy Week. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted, the new year changed to January 1. Those who still believed New Year’s Day fell on April 1 were often the subject of harmless japes, such as false New Year’s Day visits by their friends.
               Another possible explanation is that around this time of year, nature “fools” humanity with the fickle weather of spring.
               In France, the victim of a joke is called a poisson d’avril, or “April fish.” An April fish is a young one, and thus one that is easily caught, or fooled. Source: Urban Legends Reference Pages.