Question: What is the origin of the word "derby"? My brother and I got into a discussion about this while watching the Kentucky Derby on TV. (My brother had a few theories, but most of them were far-fetched and I won't waste your time by repeating them here.) We are also wondering which came first, "derby" meaning "horse race" or "derby" meaning "a man's hat"?
Answer: The history of the word "derby" is closely intertwined with the history of the derby race itself. In America, we tend to think of Kentucky when we hear the word "derby," but the original derby is actually a race that takes place once a year on a racetrack not far from London, England. The first of these races took place in the year 1780 and was named for the race's founder, Edward Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby. (Stanley's title comes from the name of an English county and town.) Later, people started using the word "derby" for important horse races in other countries, and then for a race or contest of any kind.
The sense of "derby" meaning "a stiff felt hat with a dome-shaped top and a narrow brim" came later (it was first recorded in the late 19th century). No one knows just how this hat came to be called a "derby," but it probably started when men began to wear such hats on sporting occasions, as when going to the races.
We Americans, of course, pronounce the first syllable of "derby" so that it rhymes with "fur," but the British pronounce it so that it rhymes with "far."
Question: We recently got an Angora rabbit and we are wondering where the name "Angora" comes from.
Answer: "Angora" comes from the former name of the province in Turkey known today as "Ankara." The chief city of the province, also called Ankara, is the capital of Turkey.
For centuries, the region has been known for a breed of goats with long silky fur - known in the West as Angora goats. These goats were raised exclusively in Turkey for thousands of years until the 19th century, when they were imported to South Africa and successful breeding was begun there are well. Also endemic to the province, and probably just as ancient, is a breed of long-haired cats, the Turkish Angora.
Angora rabbits, however, appear to have been developed in Europe. The exact origins are not known, but they were first exhibited in France in the early 18th century. Thus, the name "Angora" comes from the similarity of the rabbit's fur to that of Angora goats, rather than from direct association with Ankara in Turkey.
The Turkish city which gave us the name "Angora" was anciently known as "Ancyra" or "Ankyra," which means "anchor" in Greek. (According to tradition, the city was founded by King Midas, an actual 8th-century B.C. Phrygian king best known today for his mythical golden touch.)