Cataracts in the forest, rhubarbs on the baseball field — what’s going on here? These phrases might sound like the makings of a nursery rhyme, but they’re in the context of little-used definitions of common words. In some cases, these obscure definitions are older than the words’ current primary uses, and they influenced the evolution of their modern definitions. Let’s learn more about how a cut can smart, why a stroll may be constitutional, and other lesser-known definitions.
Primary definition: The thick leaf stalks of a cultivated plant of the dock family, which are reddish or green and eaten as a fruit after cooking.
Lesser-known definition: A heated dispute.
Better known as a vibrantly red garden vegetable, “rhubarb” can also refer to an intense argument or controversy. This peculiar bit of American slang was popularized by sports broadcaster Red Barber in 1943 when he described a heated scuffle between baseball players. Even earlier, sports reporter Garry Schumacher used “rhubarb” when he compared an on-field baseball squabble to a tangled mess of stringy cooked rhubarb. Schumacher furthered the comparison while reminiscing about his childhood, when neighborhood children used rhubarb sandwiches as ammunition during food fights. To Schumacher, “rhubarb” was a shoo-in for sportscasting slang.
Across the pond, “rhubarb” has another industry-specific usage: In British theater circles, “rhubarb” is the sound from a group of background actors, intended to simulate indistinct conversation and general crowd noise.
Primary definition: A medical condition in which the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque, resulting in blurred vision.
Lesser-known definition: A large waterfall. A sudden rush of water; a downpour.
Today, it’s much more common to talk to an older relative about their cataract surgery than about an impressive waterfall, but the latter was the original usage of the word “cataract.” You might say, for example, “The log traversed the cataracts of the Niagara River,” or, “The storm brought cataracts of rain.” This original usage stems from the Latin cataracta, meaning “waterfall.” Cataracta has a secondary definition in Latin as well: portcullis, the word for a heavy iron gate found in medieval fortresses. The modern term for the ocular condition likely evolved from this definition — a gate is a blockage, just as a cataract blocks vision.
Primary definition: (adjective) Relating to an established set of principles governing a state.
Lesser-known definition: (noun) A walk, typically one taken regularly to maintain or restore good health.
As a political buzzword, “constitutional” relates to set principles that govern a state. However, the wellness-related definition has been around longer. Since the 1680s, “constitutional” has been used as an adjective meaning “relating to someone’s physical or mental condition.” This evolved into the noun “constitutional” to describe a walk that had health benefits, as in, “The sunny autumn day was perfect for a constitutional.” Using “constitutional” in reference to being allowed by a state’s constitution came about in the mid-1800s.
Primary definition: (adjective) Having or showing a quick-witted intelligence.
Lesser-known definition: (verb) Feel or cause a sharp stinging pain.
“She tried to distract herself from the smarting of the bee sting.” Even if you had never heard of this usage of “smart,” you can tell from the context that it describes something painful. This less-common usage of “smart” is actually the oldest, found in Old English (as smeart) since at least the 12th century to describe a stinging action or feeling. The Old English variation smeortan meant “to be painful.” “Smart” wasn’t used to describe intelligence until the 17th century, perhaps stemming from the notion of using cutting or witty words — words that sting. In both usages — intelligence and pain — “smart” can be used as an adjective, noun, verb, and adverb.
Primary definition: (noun) A married man considered in relation to his spouse.
Lesser-known definition: (verb) Use (resources) economically; conserve.
A husband is a married man, but if someone husbands their resources, it means that they are frugal, conservative, or thrifty. To use both versions in context: “My husband husbanded his strength during the first half of the marathon,” means the speaker’s spouse saved some energy for the final part of the race. “Husband” has been used as a synonym for “conserve” since the 15th century, but the definition of a male spouse is slightly older, from the Old English husbonda.
Primary definition: (verb) Intend to convey, indicate, or refer to (a particular thing or notion); signify.
Lesser-known definition: (adjective) Poor in quality and appearance; shabby.
“Mean” takes on many uses in English: a synonym for “malicious” or “unkind,” a mathematical average, and a word to convey intention (“You know what I mean?”), to name a few. Perhaps the least-used definition of “mean” refers to something as “inferior” or “of poor quality,” as in, “The roadside motel was mean, but we just needed a place to sleep for the night.” “Mean” has been used in this sense since the 14th century, when it was first used to describe people of lower rank or social class and evolved into describing objects and things as “run-down” or “lowly.”
Primary definition: (verb) Mark (a person or a part of the body) with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin.
Lesser-known definition: (noun) An evening drum or bugle signal recalling soldiers to their quarters.
The oldest definition of “tattoo” is also now the the least commonly used. Today, the word (used as a noun and a verb) is synonymous with decorative ink markings on the skin, but the original version of “tattoo” evolved from the 17th-century Dutch term taptoe. It meant “close the tap (of the cask),” from tap (“the faucet of a cask”) and toe (“shut”). The expression referred to the practice of police turning off tavern taps at closing time, and the phrase was adopted for the signal (drumming or trumpeting) used to call soldiers or sailors to quarters at the end of the night, as in, “The evening tattoo was heard throughout the barracks.” From that, “tattoo” came to mean any sort of rhythmic tapping.
“Tattoo” in the sense of body art has an entirely different etymology. It entered English in the mid-18th century from the Tahitian, Tongan, and Samoan word ta-tau.
