365 Days of Questions

What is the term X Y?

The word Y, as used in the term X Y, is one of those language puzzles that has never been satisfactorily accounted for. A fairly old and widely-used word, it refers to a community social gathering at which friends and neighbors join together in a single activity (sewing Y, quilting Y, barn raising Y, etc.) usually to help one person or family.

Those who used the word, including most early students of language, assumed that it was the same word as referred to the insect. They thought that this particular meaning had probably been inspired by the obvious similarity between these human gatherings and the industrious, social nature of this insect’s habitat. But in recent years scholars have rejected this explanation, suggesting instead that this Y is a completely different word.

One possibility is that it comes from a Middle English word ‘bene’ which means “a prayer” or “a favor” (and is related to the more familiar word boon).