Korean Job Discussion Forums

[alljokingaside]

Hey,

Technically, this isn't a job-related question. In fact, this is a far cry from anything work-related (except for the occasional feats of lexical agility when asked by the inquisitive co-teacher...), seeing that the grammatical point is probably far above most students level and isn't really necessary in the least, and is written solely to satisfy my curiosity. But it might be useful to another teacher here for practical purposes

soooo the question...What's the etymology of "just"? (apart from just-ice)

Going through a story today (and not from the students), I noticed the antagonistic usage of "just" as an adverb due to position.

ie That is just marvelous! v He's just a teacher.

And yes, the first, if said in that right tone, will produce an equivalent-enough effect as the second, but I'm talking about its proper usage, sarcasm-free usage.

ie That's really marvelous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! v. He's only a teacher. (Oy)

Dictionary.com defines the adverb form as (and take note of #12 and 13)
9. within a brief preceding time; but a moment before: The sun just came out.
10. exactly or precisely: This is just what I mean.
11. by a narrow margin; barely: The arrow just missed the mark.
12. only or merely: He was just a clerk until he became ambitious.
13. actually; really; positively: The weather is just glorious.

Basically, I'm spending my office hour time trying to trace out the word's evolution....Any ideas/sources?

thanks!

[murmanjake]

I think definition "10" is appropriate for "That is just marvelous" as well.

As in, "That is perfectly marvelous."

[alljokingaside]

Thanks for the oversight.

The question I have, though, relates more to the split definition we get; the one that isn't wholly dependent on position- ie That's just great. I'm wondering how the word came to mean both merely (11) and actually(12), when its apparently evolution stems from just in the sense of righteous, right, and law (accd. to dictionary.com)

mm, ideas?

[schwa]

Heres my guess.

"Just" as an adjective meaning something along the lines of "righteous" is the root of all the usages.

That spun off into an adverb also including the sense of "exactly" or "precisely." (The original sense is conveyed now by "justly" -- He acted justly.)

Over time, "just" came to mean "exactly (& nothing more)" which led to the sense of "merely."

Since the word has both high & low connotations, its eventual ironic use isnt surprising.

I'm basing this on my reading of its roots on www.etymonline.com --
Every word junkie (I confess!) should have that site bookmarked. Its a trove of insight into word origins & shades of meaning.