Sunday Rest: warchest. Word Not To Use Today.

The question prompted by the word warchest is, of course, what is warch?

Hang on, I'll go and look it up in The Big One, the Oxford English Dictionary...

...hmm...well, it says that warch might be something to do with the word warish, which is either something to do with warts or another word for cure (as in people who have disease or trouble).

The problem is that the context in which I recently came across the word warchest seemed to imply that it was something to do with money - with savings for an emergency, in fact.

So what on earth...?

Ah.

Of course.

Not a warchest. A war chest.

Ah well, I've learned something. And warish is a lovely new word for me, anyway.

Word Not To Use Today: warchest. The word war comes from the Old Northern French werre. The word chest comes from the Old English cest, from the Latin cista, wooden box, from the Greek kistē, box. The word warchest comes from people not thinking things through properly.