Conversational Curiosities

Daria Wallace

I’m feeling a little under the weather. I’ll refrain from regaling you with tales of my infirmity (influenza – from the Italian for influence, coming from explanations of sickness as resulting from the influence of the stars, God or the Devil). Our concern here is language, not medicine. My aim is to draw your attention to this linguistic curiosity – a word which, rather appropriately in this case, shares its root with the word “cure” (from the latin “cura”, to care – thus to care for or, in the case of curiosity, to have interest in). So let’s kill two birds with one etymological stone, and hope that curiosity cures the cat.