Words are like a family tree. Tracing their origins is akin to exploring our family roots and trying to go back as far as possible. Similar to how different families share a common ancestor, words in various languages have a shared history. Initially, of course, all words had similar, if not the same, meanings. However, over time, they evolved to have different meanings, and not always in the best way. Allow me to provide three examples to illustrate the above. First up is 'That' – once the cosmic rock star, now pointing at everyday things. 'That' is currently used to refer to a person, object, idea, etc., separated from the speaker by space or time. However, the true meaning of 'That' is 'supreme spirit; the cause of the universe or even absolute truth,' as it originates from or is connected to the Sanskrit word Tat (เคคเคค्). Let's move on to Satan, perhaps the ultimate lost-in-translation champion. Satan started as 'Truth is One,' took a detour, and ended up as the neighborhood troublemaker. This, although Satan had a glorious start because of its two Sanskrit root words Sat (เคธเคค्) meaning Truth and ฤn (เคเคจ्) meaning One, it is currently used for anything from food (Seitan) to the devil. Unfortunately, its true meaning is pretty much forgotten and I am not sure if that is a good thing. One final, and perhaps more light-hearted example that will appeal to soccer fans among us, is the English word 'goal,' which simply kicks back to the Sanskrit word Gola (เคोเคฒ), meaning ball. Words; the ultimate shape-shifters!
~ Wald Wassermann