The English language has evolved over many centuries, with new words being introduced while old words fall out of common usage. One such word that is no longer widely used today is the old word for rainbow.
The Origins of the Word Rainbow
The modern English word “rainbow” traces its origins back to Middle English. In the 14th century, the term “rainbow” replaced the older word in English, which was “bouges.” This old word dates back even further to the 11th century Old French word “boges.” Over time, the word transformed from “boges” to “bouges” before finally evolving into our modern “rainbow.”
“Bouges” comes from the Latin word “arcus pluvius” meaning “rainy arc.” The Latin term originated from the Greek “iris,” named after their goddess of the rainbow. Before the word “bouges,” Old English used the word “heofonleoma” meaning “ray of light in the heavens.” While the specifics of the origins are complicated, linguists agree that for many centuries in England, speakers referred to the rainbow as “bouges” before transitioning to the word we know today.
The Usage of “Bouges” in Old English
The word “bouges” can be found in Middle English texts dating back to the 1300s. For example, in Geoffrey Chaucer’s writings such as The Canterbury Tales, he used the Middle English spelling “boges”:
“Boold of hir boges and hir brighte hewe.”
Which translates to:
“Blue of her rainbows and her bright hue.”
Other Middle English texts also used “boges” or “bouges” when referring to rainbows. It was a common enough word that it survived as the standard term for several centuries. However, by the 1600s it had largely fallen out of fashion in favor of “rainbow,” which first appeared in writing in the early 15th century.
Differences Between “Bouges” and “Rainbow”
When both terms were in use, “bouges” and “rainbow” had some slight differences in meaning:
- “Bouges” referred specifically to arched rainbows in the sky.
- “Rainbow” had a broader meaning more similar to today, encompassing any multicolored arc or spectrum of light.
However, there was significant overlap. Over time, “rainbow” became the standard word while “bouges” disappeared from the English lexicon. The more descriptive “rainbow” supplanted the older French-origin word “bouges” sometime around the 14th to 16th centuries.
Use of “Bouges” in Modern English
Today, the word “bouges” has fallen completely out of common usage in Modern English. It is considered an archaic or obsolete term. Most English speakers today would not recognize it.
“Bouges” only survives in very specific contexts:
- Historical texts from the Middle Ages
- Literature scholars studying Chaucer or other medieval writers
- Linguistics research examining the etymology of “rainbow”
But in everyday English, “rainbow” has thoroughly replaced “bouges.” The word disappeared from the lexicon several centuries ago as the language continued to evolve. Only experts in medieval literature or historical linguistics are likely to encounter it.
Conclusion
In summary, the old word for “rainbow” in English was “bouges.” This archaic term developed from the Latin and Greek words for rainbow and was in common usage during the Middle Ages. Medieval texts by Chaucer and others used “bouges” to refer to rainbows. By the 1600s, it had fallen out of fashion and been replaced by the modern “rainbow.” Today “bouges” is obsolete, except for very specific academic contexts. The history of this word provides an interesting example of how languages naturally change over centuries.
| Century | Term for Rainbow |
|---|---|
| 11th century | Old French: boges |
| 14th century | Middle English: bouges |
| 15th century | Early Modern English: rainbow |
| 21st century | Modern English: rainbow |
