I usually bring something with me to read while I ride on BART, but the other day I decided my brain would prefer a break. So I people watched instead. This is what unfolded.
How did the word "ugly" come about? How strange to have an adjective that ends in "ly". Isn't that ending reserved exclusively for adverbs? Ug - ly. Hmm. What's the sound that we make when repulsed or disgusted by something? "Ugh" - a nice example of an onomatopoeia. So it seems to make sense that someone who repulses you would have an "ugh" in his or her description. And the "ly" part would result from the fact that they go about making people ugh. How ugh-ly of them. And then, of course, our crazy English loves to break all rules with spelling, so we eventually dropped that "h" to leave ourselves with the much better looking "ugly".
And if you want the real story, go here. Of course, I prefer my explanation.
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Funny that you thought of "ugly" on bart. Usually I start toying with the concept "smelly" something even less charitable. But it's better than driving, for sure. Thanks for the etymological link; "ugglike" is my new favorite word.
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