etymology - Does the word "table" have anything to do with a table?


I am curious to know why a numerical chart can be called a table. What is the relation to the table at which people eat?



Answer



That kind of table comes from the Latin tabula meaning "a board or plank" which was used for writing down columns of numbers. It was also where one ate one's dinner (OE called it bord and appropriated the Latin table for that purpose, although the Romans used the term mensa for the food table). Handy, eh? You can read about it on Etymonline. http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=table&searchmode=none


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