Show TAKE MY WORD FOR IT By Frank Colby At this time every year many readers ask for tor an explanation of the suffix tide in such words as Christmastide and y u 1 e t i ide d eHas eHas e. e Has it anything to do with the tides of ot the sea they ask It has indeed And this is the story behind the word Let us begin with the Anglo- Anglo Saxon word tid which means time hour season Tid became became became be be- came tide in Middle English and the word came to designate the periodic rise and fall of the waters of ot the ocean tide still having the sense of time the space of time between the ebb and flow Later tide came to mean seaon and it was used Informing in informing informing forming compounds such as Christmastide Eastertide yuletide yuletide yule yule- ule tide eventide Then tide grew another meaning mean mean- ing it ing-it it came to mean to nto happen happen happen hap hap- pen or befall and in the form betide we still use it in that m meaning caning Now the word changed again and became tidy which at first meant timely of the proper season hence by extension extension extension ex ex- ex- ex tension fitting w sc worthy o 0 r t thy h y hence in modern usage orderly order ly neat trim Once more a new form devel devel- By influence of the French word nouvelles news and of ot the English word news tide became became became be be- came t tidings i d din I n g s 5 happenings news And the angel said unto them Fear not for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people Luke Luke 2 10 Released by Bell Syndicate Inc |