The origin of the word calf.

1. Calf (young cow, young of certain other mammals)

Old English: cealf (plural calfru or later calves)

Proto-Germanic: kalbaz or *kalbaz/kalbazō

Cognates: Old Norse kálfr, Old High German kalb, German Kalb, Dutch kalf.

Proto-Indo-European root: often linked to gel- (“to swell, be rounded”), possibly referring to the rounded shape of a young animal. Some etymologists, however, leave it as “origin uncertain” beyond Proto-Germanic.

2. Calf (back of the lower leg)

Old English: caf, cealf (“calf of the leg”) — likely related to the animal term, but the link is uncertain.

Possible origin: Could be from the same gel- “swell” root, referring to the bulging muscle at the back of the leg, or an independent development within Germanic.

Cognates: Old Norse kálfi (“calf of the leg”), Swedish kalv (leg calf), Icelandic kálfi.

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MisterTea 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Literally plugged the phrase "etymology word calf" into duckduckgo and the first result was this: https://etymologyworld.com/item/calf

This feels similar to a recent conversation with my friend when I was trying to recall the SoC used in the Nintendo Switch and he insisted on using his chatgpt app when I just went to the Wikipedia page for the Switch faster then he could open his app.

I don't want to sound negative, but - to me people who over rely on LLMs are lazy and low effort. I would not hire or work with them.

	▲	red-iron-pine 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		eventually they will grow dependent on the tool and will never be able to adapt

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throwanem 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Can you tell me about the one two before that, without looking it up?

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poszlem 3 days ago | parent [-]

Yes, but I’m not going to. You seem to think I owe you a performance or an explanation. Stop circling around trying to trip me up and just make your point, if you have one.

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throwanem 3 days ago | parent [-]

You were the one who raised the subject, but sure, if that's the way you want it. You are making a mistake which I believe you will regret, outsourcing future time binding to a machine in this way. You seem to believe you are learning something and I do not think that is true, except for a habit of intellectual laziness that I expect will prove as corrosive for you as lucrative to others.

You're bragging about your calf strength as you habituate to walking with crutches you don't need. Today? Sure, fair enough. Couple years from now? Thank goodness that's not my problem.

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poszlem 3 days ago | parent [-]

You’re not here to discuss, you’re here to lecture about “intellectual laziness”, which is exactly why I figured you were just trying to trip me up. I use AI the same way people used dictionaries or encyclopedias: to feed curiosity. I knock out little questions as they pop up, and if even a quarter of it sticks, that’s a win. If you want to twist that into “bragging about calf strength,” that’s just your insecurity talking.

	▲	throwanem 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		"[If] even a quarter of it sticks, that's a win." Sure. Enjoy your day.