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2007-02-11 22:38:39 · 6 answers · asked by ramesh r 1 in Education & Reference Words & Wordplay

6 answers

where ????????

2007-02-13 08:15:36 · answer #1 · answered by nasha 2 · 0 0

The first appearance of the word is from 1782 and means an odd person. This sense survives today in the word "quizzical". It was also used in the term quizzing glass, a common accoutrement of English Regency dandies. It later acquired a meaning of to make fun of, or to mock. How it acquired its current meaning of a test is unknown, but that sense did not appear until 1867 and then it was in the United States.

The OED2 has a cite from 1847 where the word appears: "She com back and quiesed us," which could be a clue to its origin. Quiz as a test could be a corruption of the Latin Qui es, meaning "Who are you?" American Heritage says it may be from the English dialect verb quiset, meaning to question. In any case it is probably from the same root as question and inquisitive.

There is a well-known but untrue story of the word "quiz", which says that in 1791 a Dublin theater owner named James Daly made a bet that he could introduce a word into the language within twenty-four hours. He then went out and hired a group of street urchins to write the word "quiz", which was a nonsense word, on walls around the city of Dublin. Within a day, the word was common currency and had acquired a meaning (since no one knew what it meant, everyone thought it was some sort of test) and Daly had some extra cash in his pocket.

While entertaining, there is absolutely no evidence to support it and the term was already in use before the alleged bet in 1791.

2007-02-12 06:41:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

The word is considered an acronym and "Questions Under Intelligence Zone" is an expansion given in some GK book (Manorama Year Book?).

It appears more apt whether or not the real origin of the word has anyting to do with this interpretation.

2007-02-12 06:58:43 · answer #3 · answered by goldenage 2 · 0 0

Come has nothing to do with quiz.....

2007-02-12 06:42:10 · answer #4 · answered by popo dean 5 · 0 1

from u. just kidding.

2007-02-12 06:40:15 · answer #5 · answered by sharon 3 · 0 0

our ancients also don't have any answer for it how could we have

2007-02-12 06:48:12 · answer #6 · answered by Priyanka M 3 · 0 1

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