Language is as much a mode of expression as it is a carrier of shifting meanings, assumptions and attitudes. Some word meanings change, some words disappear altogether from everyday usage. The Dictionary Project of the University of Wolverhampton brings together over 10,000 names of traded goods and places them in their historical and cultural context.
Historical Names of Commodities and their Meanings
Ever wondered what “Zoobditty match” is? It is a kind of sauce or pickle originating from India and promoted by early 19th century advertisers as a highly desirable delicacy. And what of “Alkermes”? Apparently it was a dye which like cochineal was made of the dried bodies of female insects. It was also used in the making of confections found in early recipe books. Daffy’s Elixir was one of many 18th-century quack remedies which was marketed as a universal panacea pretending to cure anything from toothache to gallstones.
What's in a name? Words that mean something entirely different today include “Hot Waters” which refers to alcoholic beverages distilled by using adulterated wine; “housewife” which refers to a pocket-case used to hold needles, pins and scissors; “housing”, a term that relates to horse harness and “leech” whose primary meaning was “doctor”, presumably because these blood-sucking worms were a prime weapon in the doctor’s arsenal.
Dictionary of Traded Goods and Commodities
The making of the Dictionary was made possible with detailed research into several sources, such as Statutes of the Realm, Industrial Patents, tradesmen inventories, advertisements, trade cards and bill heads, recipes, diaries and personal papers – covering a period from the early 14th to the early 19th century.
Apart from providing a definition of commercial commodities the Dictionary of Traded Goods places these into a wider context relating to use, consumption, supply network and cultural meanings. Articles on related concepts, such as advertising, consumption, trade, leisure, colour, transport and shop design will help historians of trade in their investigations.
Dictionary Project Online
The Dictionary of Trade Goods and Commodities, 1550-1820 is authored by Nancy Cox and Karin Dannehl (2007) and is published partly on British History Online. The researcher can click on any word on the list of commercial commodities and terms to be given a definition, alternative spelling, earliest uses and sources. The Dictionary is described in University of Wolverhampton website as not merely a reference tool but an interactive resource: “viewed collectively Dictionary entries identify the necessary tensions between language as a vehicle of expression and as a marker of shifting economic attitudes, appetites and assumptions.”
Lito Apostolakou - Lito is a historian with an interest in digital archives and online historical resources. She is the author of blog Palimpsest.
