Q Can you tell me the origin of the word “hoosegow,” meaning “jail”? Does it come from German? – B. K., Greenbelt, Md.

A: “Hoosegow” actually comes from the Spanish word “juzgado.” In Spanish, the letter “j” is pronounced like the English letter “h.” “Juzgado” literally translates to “court” or “tribunal” and is the past participle of the verb “juzgar,” meaning “to judge.” It comes originally from the Latin “judicare,” also meaning “to judge.”

In English slang, the use of “hoosegow” originated in the American Southwest, where it was apparently adopted from Mexican Spanish in the late 19th century. The first published use of the word in English dates to 1909. In addition to its usual “jail” sense, “hoosegow” has also had some use as a slang reference to an outhouse.

Q Some years ago, my wife and I toured Europe. Our guide in England was very pleasant and knowledgeable about English history, but when I asked her the difference between “lady” and “dame,” she just laughed. She never did give me an answer. What do you say? – W. F., Jamesburg, N.J.

A: Maybe your tour guide laughed because she knew how complex it would be to answer your question. “Lady” and “dame” have been used as titles for a variety of women in a variety of situations, and their uses may often seem to overlap. Sifting out archaic, obsolete, and dialect uses, however, reveals significant distinctions in current usage.

“Lady” is used as an alternate and less formal title for a marchioness, countess, viscountess or baroness. For example, the “Marchioness of X” could be referred to as “Lady X.” The title “Lady” is also used with the first names of daughters of dukes, marquises and earls.

“Lady” is also the title of the wives of knights, and it is used with the wife’s married surname. For example, if Jane Smith married the knight John Doe, she would become “Lady Doe.”

Women who are themselves members of orders of knighthood are known as dames. Their rank is comparable to that of the men of the order who are known as knights. As a form of address, “Sir” is used for knights, but women keep “Dame.” Thus a knight and a dame of the Order of the British Empire could be addressed or referred to as “Sir John Doe” and “Dame Jane Smith.”

So far so good, but there is a complication. The wives of knights who are not themselves members of the order can also use the title “Dame.” “Dame” is used with the first name and surname, the same styling as used for the women of the knighthood themselves. Jane Doe, wife of the knight Sir John Doe, would be “Dame Jane Doe.”

Q I work with first- and second-grade children. Recently, the question was brought up of why the little finger is called the “pinkie.” Any help? – S. R., Kingston, R.I.

A: More than likely, “pinkie” originated from the Dutch word “pinkje,” a diminutive form of “pink,” meaning “little finger” in Dutch. A diminutive form denotes something small, cute or dear. Different lan­guages use different endings for diminutive forms.

The ‘-je” ending in Dutch is equivalent to the endings “-y” and “-ie” in English (as in, for example, “deary,” “doggie,” and “birdie”). Dutch “pinkje” thus means “cute little finger” and was probably used with very small children at first.

We can’t say definitely when the Dutch first started using “pink” and “pinkje” to mean “little finger,” but the Scots started using “pinkie” that way a couple hundred years ago. Scottish immigrants then brought it to America around the mid-1800s.

This column was prepared by the editors of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.

Readers may send questions to Merriam-Webster’s Wordwatch, P.O. Box 281, 47 Federal St., Springfield, Mass. 01102.

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