05-22-2003, 03:16 PM
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Am I really here?
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Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: near Chicago
Posts: 3,025
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From the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language comes THIS origin of the world Golf (which I hope will put that 'gentlemen only' crap to rest):
Quote:
The Scottish origins of golf are there in the vocabulary. Golf itself is recorded in Scots English from the late 15th century, and various spelling suggest a pronunciation without an /l/, including gouff, goiff, goff, and gowff. The origins of the word are obscure. It is commonly thought to be a Dutch loanword, from colf, the name of a stick or club used in various striking games of the time, but there is no definitive evidence.
Other golf-related terms which first appear in Scots English are caddie (from French cadet, 'cadet') and links (a development of an Old English word meaning 'rising ground').
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