Mysteries of vernacular: Keister - Jessica Oreck and Rachael Teel

38,765 views ・ 2013-08-09

TED-Ed


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Mysteries of vernacular:
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Keister,
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a person's buttocks.
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Though the modern meaning of keister
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refers somewhat indecorously
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to a person's behind,
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the word's history does not begin with the rear end.
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Instead, it can be traced back
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to the Proto-Indo-European kista,
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which described a woven container.
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Kista influenced the creation of words
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like the Greek kiste,
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meaning basket or box,
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and later, the Latin cista,
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which meant box or chest.
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In proto-Germanic, a sturdy, box-like container
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was described by the word kista,
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which eventually gave us chest in English.
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For every locked chest,
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there is both a key and a lock pick,
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and the history of keister
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draws us into this world of petty crime
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and speculative etymology.
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Keister may have come from the British dialect kist,
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which was the northern form of chest.
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In the underworld jargon of the late 1800s,
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it referred to a burgler's tool kit that can be locked,
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and by the early 20th century,
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it meant safe or strong box.
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Numerous theories about keister's connection
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to the buttocks abound,
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one being, that is courtesy of the slang sense,
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used by pick-pockets to describe
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the treasure of a rear trouser pocket.
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Unfortunately, what isn't safe in your kist
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may not be safe near your keister either.
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