A was an ant
(from an
illustrated alphabet poem by Edward Lear)
How many times do we curse these industrious little creatures
when they find their way into our homes and despoil our food? For once they
have laid their trail, their fellows will follow it relentlessly, laughing with
their tiny ant stridulations at our feeble efforts to deter them.
A mediaeval name for the ant is ‘pissemire,’ originating from
‘pisse,’ meaning urine, and ‘mire,’ an old Scandinavian word for ant (‘myre’
in Danish, ‘myra’ in Swedish)
Literally, pismire means urinating ant. It is associated with
the pungent aroma of anthills saturated with the formic acid ants secrete.
Pismire was used pejoratively. An ant is small and
insignificant, so to call someone a pismire was to draw attention to their worthlessness.
The modern form of pismire is pissant.
‘Emmet’ is another name for an ant. The emmet is presented in heraldry as a signifier of industry and wisdom. In 1610, John Guillim of the English College of Arms wrote: ‘By the Emmet or Pismire may be signified a Man of great Labour, Wisdom, and Providence in all his Affairs, and of a pregnant and ready Memory.’
Emmet is also a Cornish (UK) dialectical word for tourists or
incomers. Incomers are people who were not born in the county but have moved to
live there.
I remember the word pissant being used in my youth. I have to think about why it was used...a small insignificant person, always male, who could be considered a threat or important. "He's just a pissant." Definitely derogatory.
ReplyDeleteThe first time I heard it was in a play a long time ago.
DeleteAnswer not on my list of favor house invaders. But they certainly are hard workers and out in the yard where there's huge ant hills, I just leave them do their work.
ReplyDeleteThey must have some good purpose, though it's difficult to appreciate when they're running amok in the house.
DeleteI did know the term emmet but wasn't sure of its meaning. Thank you for (once again) letting me learn something new!
ReplyDeleteIt's sometimes used as a term of abuse in Cornwall, too.
DeleteYou wouldn’t want me to repeat some of the names I have heard people call them!
ReplyDeleteI'll take your word for that!
DeleteWhatever they're called, they're annoying. I wish they'd pi** off. Your blog updates are not coming up on my feed. I guess it is still Google problems.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to see them outdoors and far away.
DeleteI've recently developed an ant problem and I'm pretty sure I heard them laughing at my efforts. I've called quite a few people pissants over the years.
ReplyDeleteThey are difficult to eradicate. Good luck!
DeleteWhat an interesting exploration of the ant and its many names! Edward Lear’s little poem is a lovely way to start the post.
ReplyDeleteThey're creatures to admire from afar.
DeleteThey can be extremely annoying. There is a huge colony beneath our garden paving slabs and each summer the slabs become more and more uneven due to the burrowing below.
ReplyDeleteIn our garden it's rats burrowing that cause the brick paving to become uneven. 😕🐀🐀🐀
DeleteThere's an area of northern Sheffield called Pismire Hill. I went through it on Saturday but did not notice any ants. Human society could learn a lot from ants.
ReplyDeleteAs in many colonies, ants work together, each individual knowing its own duties. Humans are too individual . . .
DeleteLike Andrew I remember the word pissant, I learned a lot from your post.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Devon x
🐜🐜🐜😷
DeleteAs a kid, I loved to read the dictionary. I used a huge tome of a dictionary in my dad's home office. I would lie on the floor and flip pages to read. Now, I don't have to lie on the floor as I would have difficulty getting up, you find all the cool words and their origins for me to read. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMy father enjoyed reading dictionaries, too.
DeleteI don't mind them but if I didn't invite them in then I want them out.
ReplyDeleteI prefer them outdoors, too.
DeleteWhen the ants find their way into the house I keep throwing natural deterrents at them until they decide my place isn't worth all the effort.
ReplyDeleteIt's a battle - I'm glad you win!
DeleteIt's nice to have you and your etymological explorations back.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteThe grounds here around the flats are riddled with ants and their nests, millions of the little so-and-so's. But I never get any inside my place and I am thankful for that. Several flats have had termites too and had to have cabinets replaced after they were eradicated. One tenant had a return of the termites and it was discovered they were living in the potplants as well as the usual cabinet/walls/floors places, so out went her pot plants.
ReplyDeleteThat's awful. I'm glad you're not bothered with them.
DeleteI know the Swedish word 'pissmyra' (we also call them 'rödmyra' = red ant) but I don't think I ever came across pismire or pissant in English.
ReplyDeleteI've always thought of it as more of an Americanism,. actually. I don't know why.
DeleteOn the few occasions that ants have found their way into our house I have dealt with them by removing whatever has attracted them. They soon disappear. I do remember pissant being used as a pejorative when I was growing up. I never gave any thought to its origin. Thank you for educating me once again!
ReplyDeleteWe have them in the swimming pool building, strangely. I can't imagine what they can find in there.
ReplyDeleteI never thought to wonder about the origins of the word "pissant"!
ReplyDelete🐜🐜🐜
ReplyDeleteThat post just blew my mind. Things you never think about and yet are interesting all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteIt's all in the detail . . . 😉
DeleteI know some of these things about ants but you have filled in the gaps for me. Have a nice day.
ReplyDelete😊🐜🐜
DeleteLove Edward Lear's ditties. Not so much ants. I wipe them away into oblivion but must admit sometimes I feel like a nasty old giant troll when I get rid of them. Sometimes I leave them but when they invade my food it's War
ReplyDeleteThey are persistent, and it's probably why they have survived so much and so long.
DeleteMost years they get into my house through the walls and emerge indoors from the beams on the outer walls. This year they didn't so maybe they liked the hot summer and just happily stayed outside. I have been watching them on the ground outside all summer, still very busy. The ones that come indoors tend to be flying ants. We had them at our farmhouse when I was a child too. I seem to have been dealing with ants for my entire life. I have never come across the words pissant or pismire.
ReplyDeleteThe days of the flying ants always seemed to coincide with me having some form of tonsillitis. It seemed like every year, but it was probably only once.
ReplyDelete"Pissant" was one of my mother's frequently-used words and I still use it...probably too frequently. Usually the little fire ants that make their way into the kitchen do so in the spring/early summer here but I've not had any in recent years...knock on wood. (But speaking of wood, carpenter ants are a whole other creature and did considerable damage in our house and outside beams, etc. Apparently they'd taken up residence here and we did not know that when we purchased the place.)
ReplyDeleteCarpenter ants were an unpleasant and unwelcome discovery for you. Such pest always seem irrationally expensive to exterminate.
DeleteI was not expecting the modern form of pismire and laughed out loud. Informative AND entertaining! I need to put pissant back in my language rotation. Thank you, ha.
ReplyDeleteIt would be good to have a society dedicated to reintroducing archaic words . . .
DeleteI don't mind ants in the garden but definitely not indoors!
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
. . . and so say all of us!
DeleteInteresting, I wasn't aware of most of those word connections. I've seen "pissant" used to mean a drunk.
ReplyDeleteAnts are extremely vicious and aggressive creatures. It's lucky for us that they're so small.
Gigantic ants are the stuff of nightmares.
DeleteI don't like it when I see one inside because there's usually more.
ReplyDeleteYes, they don't travel singly.
DeleteWe haven't had any ants inside the house for years ... hope I haven't jinxed it now :-)
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I only knew the Cornish emmets to mean tourists. Had no idea it actually means ants, although it does make sense ... xxx