Mysteries of vernacular: Venom - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

Transcriber: Andrea McDonough
Reviewer: Jessica Ruby

Mysteries of vernacular:

Venom, the poisonous fluid secreted by animals, like snakes and scorpions, typically transmitted by bite or sting. As vile as the word is now, the history of venom begins with the pleasant Indo-European root wen, which meant to desire or strive for. Perhaps, not surprisingly, wen also generated a number of amiable modern words, like win or wish.

Wenes, a form of the original root, was tailored to the mythology of the time, and applied to the Roman goddess of love, Venus, known to the Greeks as Aphrodite and to the Egyptians as Hathor. From this milieu of amore, the word wenesom emerged, meaning love potion. Over time, wenesom became venenum, a word that specifically described potions or medicines that evoked intense physical reactions from the patient.

The definition of venenum eventually narrowed to refer solely to poisonous concoctions, a shift that puts us within striking distance of the word under investigation. A bit of shortening and a slight distinction in source brings us to venom, a deadly fluid that comes from a snake rather than a pharmacist.