Loose Ends and the Etymologicon

Think that 'gene pool', 'car pool' and 'pooling your resources' have something to do with water? Then you'll need to think again, thanks to Mark Forsyth's new book, Etymologicon, a circular tour through the origins of words. As the author explains in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends, the English word 'pool', comes from the French word 'poule' i.e. chicken, which was a game played in medieval France where the winner won all the money in the pot. The word 'poule' got anglicised as it passed into the English language as the French Robert dictionary attests. More of Mark Forsyth's fascinating word connections can be found on his splendid blog, the Inky Fool.