Today, a boudoir is an elegantly furnished room to which a lady can retire alone or receive intimate friends. In the late 18^th century, when this word originated, a young lady was sent to her boudoir to get over her sulks and boudoir came from the French bouder, meaning to pout.

Attributing the quality of glamour to someone means that the person possesses the exciting quality that makes certain people seem appealing. The origin of glamour lies in the unexciting grammatica, the Latin root of grammar, often used in the Middle Ages to mean ‘scholarship, learning’, including the occult practices popularly associated with learning. Down the ages, there has been a mystery attached to learning.

For instance, for the sake of power, the ancient Egyptian priests retained the art of reading and writing as a secret of the temple, making people look up to these skills with superstitious awe. Even in the 16^th-century England, reading and writing was associated with black magic. This may have been because all learning used Latin, which was a complex tongue, not understood by the masses. Hence, occult powers and devilish strength were attributed to those fluent in grammar. Somehow, grammar became glammar, carrying connotations of magic and enchantment, leading onto today’s glamour.

In the same vein, the word charming could mean the torture chamber for a woman, as charm comes from the French charme, derived from the Latin carmen, a wicked chant or incantation of magic power.

Bridal is an adjective for anything concerning a bride or a newly wedded couple. Originally, bridal in Old English was brydealu or ‘bride’ plus ‘ale-drinking’. This descended from the wedding feast where a lot of ale was drunk. Similarly, buxom did not mean well-rounded in Old English, having originated in ‘bugan’, meaning to bend. So, the original sense was applied to a bride for being ready to bend, compliant or obedient. People were often spoken of as ‘being buxom to the judge or pope’. The sense of being obliging led onto being lively and good-tempered, influenced by the traditional association of plumpness and good health with an easy-going nature.

This feature was published on December 4, 2004