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Origin of GARRISON
Middle English garisoun protection, from Anglo-French garisun healing, protection, from garir to heal, protect, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German werien to defend — more at weir
First Known Use: 15th century
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Garir
It may seem odd that a word for a military installation derives from a verb meaning "to heal," but it's true: "garir," the root of "garrison," means "to heal." The medieval French verb also meant "to protect,"
since medicines that heal you also protect you from disease, and it was
probably this sense that gave rise to the medieval English word "garisoun," meaning "protection." "Protection" led to the meaning "stronghold," which was soon applied to a military post. "Garrison" first entered English in the 15th century.
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Origin of the name Edward:
Derived from the Old English Eadweard (wealthy or fortunate guardian), a compound name composed of the elements ēad (prosperity, wealth) and weard (guardian, protector). Edward is a royal name, having been borne by three Anglo-Saxon kings and eight kings of England.********************************************
In the article “Extraordinary Commonplaces,” Robert Darnton explains how keeping such a commonplace book changed the nature of reading for early autodidacts (and how it can change the way you read today):
“Time was when readers kept commonplace books. Whenever they came across a pithy passage, they copied it into a notebook under an appropriate heading, adding observations made in the course of daily life. . . It involved a special way of taking in the printed word. . .They broke texts into fragments and assembled them into new patterns by transcribing them in different sections of their notebooks. Then they reread the copies and rearranged the patterns while adding more excerpts. Reading and writing were therefore inseparable activities. They belonged to a continuous effort to make sense of things, for the world was full of signs: you could read your way through it; and by keeping an account of your readings, you made a book of your own, one stamped with your personality.” (The New York Review of Books, 2000)
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Added August 3 2018
The Princeton encyclopedia of poetry and poetics
Hornsby, RA
Commonplacing is a mode of cultural transmission that allows
for the deracination and reframing of authority. (snip) Commonplace books were
important tools for managing the flood of print that began to emerge from the
popular press. Early modern printed play texts, including the first quareo of
Hamlet (1603), often indicated lines fit for copying by placing commas or
inverted commas at the beginning of the line.
