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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | OCTOBER 2022 11 By Clare Mendez, Resident Spooky season has arrived once more! I thought you might enjoy examining some of the eerie etymology behind popular Halloween words and phrases associated with the scariest time of the year. Trick or Treat: A favorite Halloween pastime of children, involves children knocking on people's front doors and shouting the phrase, "Trick or Treat!" If the person who answers fails to deliver the goods, tradition dictates children can play a trick on them… hopefully a nice one that doesn't involve much clean up. In modern times, trick- or-treating has become a way of extorting as many sweets as possible from your neighbors, but the custom has more ancient roots. Before trick-or-treating, there was an event on All Saints' Day (November 1st) called souling, where children and those in need would travel door-to-door to receive soul cakes. This practice dates back to the Middle Ages. Haunt: Whether you've spent time in a haunted house, or you're haunted by that one embarrassing moment in your life, to be haunted is generally something to be feared. The word 'haunt' dates back to the 14th century, finding its roots in the Old French hanter, which means 'to visit regularly'. If you look at the modern definition of haunt, you can see that it's not always used to describe being troubled by something spooky like a ghost. It could be a something as harmless as a problem that has come back to bother you. As a noun, it can also refer to a pleasant place where you return again and again, such as a favorite pub. Poltergeist: Sticking with frightening phenomena that may occasionally visit us in the night, a poltergeist is a particularly unnerving ghost or supernatural force that does more than sneak up behind you wearing a white sheet. A poltergeist generally has more of a physical presence and is said to be able to move your sofa, throw your favorite mug across the room, or get up to other disturbing acts of mischief such as tapping on your walls. It is this general mischief which gave this word its origin, deriving from the German poltern (to be noisy) and geist (ghost). Banshee: In Irish folklore, banshees are female spirits that foretell death in the family by wailing. It's likely nobody has ever seen a banshee but we have heard of someone or something described as ''screaming like a banshee!" This word demonstrates the power of a myth. Witch: An ever popular costume choice for those in possession of a long black dress, some green face paint, and a broom. The word 'witch' has long held a place in the English language coming into more frequent usage in the 18th century around the time of the Salem Witch trials. A witch is broadly used to describe anyone who has allegedly performed magical acts. In fairy tales, a witch is typically an old woman with evil intent, complete with a pointed hat and a black cat. THE ETYMOLOGY OF HALLOWEEN HOT AUGUST NIGHT

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