"Fragile... The word comes to us from Old French, thence from the Latin fragilis or frangere meaning to break. Tucked somewhere in there is the Indo-European bhreg and the Gothic brikan, both meaning to shatter. In modern parlance, the word means easily broken or damaged, delicate, brittle or frail, vulnerable or flimsy, lacking in body, strength or substance.
That which is fragile is often assumed to be anything but robust or bright, and certainly not vibrant by any means, but it is not necessarily so ..."
So begins writer/photographer Catherine Kerr's reflections on a friend recently passed, via her lovely blog Beyond The Fields We Know. Dancing playful words and images, much to enjoy and learn from.
Etymology: how meaning slides from one context to another -- a game of hide-and-seek; of "catch-me-if-you-can"; words like clandestine lovers, or long-lost relatives, pretending distance.