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• periphery •

Pronunciation: pê-ri-fê-ri • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. The outer boundary of an object or area, perimeter, edge. 2. A marginal aspect, secondary status of lesser importance than other aspects.

Notes: Remember that the [f] sound is spelled PH in this word. The adjective that comes with this English word is peripheral and the adverb, peripherally. The quality noun is peripherality.

In Play: Periphery originally referred to physical geography and still may be used that way: "The chorus was arranged in a circle around the periphery of the audience, thus enveloping it with the concert." Today, however, it is used more often in its figurative sense: "Women find themselves less and less on the periphery of the business world."

Word History: Today's Good Word was taken from Old French periferie (Modern French périphérie), inherited from Late Latin peripheria, borrowed from Greek peripheria "circumference, outer surface". The Greek word is based on peripheres "rounded", from the verb peripherein "carry around", made up of peri- "around, about" + pherein "to carry". This Greek word was made from the Proto-Indo-European root bher-/bhor- "to carry", which also produced the English verb (to) bear and the noun burden. The initial [bh] sound became [f] in Latin, where we find ferre "to carry" and fortuitus "happening by chance". In Greek it also became pherne "dowry", which we see in paraphernalia "woman's property aside from her dowry". (Today's Good Word was recommended by our long-time, prolific friend William Hupy, certainly not a peripheral contributor to this series.)

Dear Dr. Goodword:

I note that you list the PIE root for Latin ferre which gives us "periphery" as bher-/bhor- "to carry".
Other words like "porter" and "ferry" you claim elsewhere descend from PIE per-/por- "to lead, pass over".

The English word "ferry" seems closer in meaning to "carry" than to "lead" in my opinion. Is there a relationship between these two PIE words?

Secondly, I have cousins with the Portuguese last name Ferreira,(a smith) which I had presumed was related to the English word ferrous, from the Latin ferrum, "iron". (Similarly, ferrocaril is railroad is Spanish, rail of iron, I presume.)

Is "periphery" (<Lat. ferre, carry) related to "ferrous" (<Lat ferrum, iron)?

Rrenter wrote:

Secondly, I have cousins with the Portuguese last name Ferreira,(a smith) which I had presumed was related to the English word ferrous, from the Latin ferrum, "iron". (Similarly, ferrocaril is railroad is Spanish, rail of iron, I presume.)

Here in bilingual Miami, us English speakers expand our Spanish vocabulary incrementally from desultory sources. I use billboards and retail experiences as my tutors. For example, if you are in Home Depot, look for the aisle labelled “ferretería” to find the hardware piece you need.

As to your point about Ferreira as a Portuguese surname meaning “smith,” I note that my own surname “Kovac” is a cognate for “smith” in Hungarian, Croatian, Czech, Slovak, Serbian and Ukrainian.

It would be interesting to compare the different ways to say Smith in various languages, as it's one of the most common surnames, in English at least.

My maiden name is Ferran. Most of what my father told me about our family history seems to me to be more legend than fact, but I could accept his assertion that we were Ferrans because we had "always" been farriers, iron workers.
According to him, he was the first first son never to have shod a horse, though his grandfather insisted that he make a horseshoe (which was on display in the cellarway). Also according to him, traditionally the first son was the farrier, the second son the horse thief.

Rrenter wrote:

It would be interesting to compare the different ways to say Smith in various languages, as it's one of the most common surnames, in English at least.

Here are some more peripheral thoughts on “Ferreira’ (Portuguese surname for “Smith”) and “Kovac” “Kovacs” “Kovacic,” “Kovacevic,” et al. (Hungarian and Slavic variants for “Smith”). Apparently “Ferrari” in Italy and “Lefebvre” in France are also Smiths.

I just came across a link to an article with a map of European surnames. According to this source, “Smith” and its linguistic variants compose the most popular occupational surname in a large part of Europe.
The map is kind of cool. You can see the map at
https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/most- ... ame-europe

Presumably Ferreira, LeFebvre, Ferrari, Farrer (and probably Farrell?), Farrier, Ferran (Debby), etc are not just any old Smith, but specifically iron smiths. The thing that all Smiths have in common is metal, it seems. Silver, copper, gold -smith. etc

Is Kovac, I wonder, iron specific or any metal?

Love your link, George. Thanks. And now I know it is a common name, I won't ask if you are related to my good friend in Melbourne George Kovac, the chess and croquet player.

Totally agree: that link is superb.

David,

After looking at that map, I regret that my paternal grandfather is not Italian, because then I would be a "Ferrari", which has more cachet than "Kovac". I am looking into my ancestry on that side of the family and am finding confusing links to late nineteenth century Austria, Hungary and the Balkans. Until I clear up that ethnic mystery, I am listing my background as "half-Hapsburg". The maternal half of my background is unambiguously Irish: all Egans and O'Tooles.

As to your George Kovac in Melbourne, Ancestry.com so far has not suggested him as my landsman. I know of an Australian who shares my name. He had a similar gmail address and for a while I got some of his emails. He seemed to have very nice friends, judging by the photos in pubs and at bar-b-ques, but they were disappointed that I failed to reply or share my photos. The Australian George Kovac eventually got a new gmail address, and I have lost touch with my mates down under.

I love it, George. You'll now have to make do with me as your Australian mate! My friend George is actually of course only a loose friend. We served on a croquet committee together for a few years, but that was twenty five years ago. I haven't seen him since - probably now dead, he was a lot older than I. But if it is any comfort, he was a lovely bloke, even if a touch pedantic. But then, who isn't?

As for your Irish heritage, well, a touch of the blarney is another way of being interested in words. Curiously, I am reading the Irishman, John Banville at the moment - The Infinities. I am not sure about his extravagant use of adverbs. He seems to be using them for the sake of a sort of floral decoration. How does "wobblingly" grab you? The sentence it comes in is just as picturesque without the word. All it does is add an ugly interruption, for me. For him it is probably all part of the blarney.

Love your discussion, folks.
Your bringing the word 'blarney' to the fore reminded me of the
time 25 years ago, on a trip to Ireland with mi mither. She was
of the clan Carthy, and visiting Blarney Castle in Cork, she
refused the climb to kiss the Blarney Stone in Blarney Castle
because she claimed too much blarney as it was, and did not
need more. So I climed the steps mi-self.

I like your Mum, Luke.

Thanks, David, she was definitely full of the ole blarney.

Glad to see that the discussion continues on this thread, following the idea of smith and iron and related names in multiple languages. I learned quite a bit.

But I wonder if anyone knows yet of a connection between “periphery" (<Lat. ferre, carry) and “ferrous" (<Lat ferrum, iron)?