Bushcraft - Etymology

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of bushcraft is "skill in matters pertaining to life in the bush".

The word has been used in its current sense in Australia and South Africa at least as far back as the 1800s. Bush in this sense is probably a direct adoption of the Dutch 'bosch', (now 'bos') originally used in Dutch colonies for woodland and country covered with natural wood, but extended to usage in British colonies, applied to the uncleared or un-farmed districts, still in a state of nature. Later this was used by extension for the country as opposed to the town. In Southern Africa, we get Bushman from the Dutch 'boschjesman' applied by the Dutch colonists to the natives living in the bush. In North America (where there was also considerable colonisation by the Dutch) you have the word 'bushwacker' which is close to the Dutch 'bosch-wachter' (now 'boswachter') meaning 'forest-keeper' or 'forest ranger'.

Historically, the term has been spotted in the following books (amongst others):

  • The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888 by Ernest Favenc; published in 1888.
  • My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin; published in 1901.
  • Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900) by A. G. Hales; published in 1901.
  • The Explorers of Australia and their Life-work by Ernest Favenc; published in 1908.
  • We of the Never-Never by Jeannie Gunn; published in 1908.
  • The Life of Captain Matthew Flinders by Ernest Scott; published in 1914.

Read more about this topic:  Bushcraft

Famous quotes containing the word etymology:

    “Semantically, taste is rich and confusing, its etymology as odd and interesting as that of “style.” But while style—deriving from the stylus or pointed rod which Roman scribes used to make marks on wax tablets—suggests activity, taste is more passive.... Etymologically, the word we use derives from the Old French, meaning touch or feel, a sense that is preserved in the current Italian word for a keyboard, tastiera.”
    —Stephen Bayley, British historian, art critic. “Taste: The Story of an Idea,” Taste: The Secret Meaning of Things, Random House (1991)

    “The universal principle of etymology in all languages: words are carried over from bodies and from the properties of bodies to express the things of the mind and spirit. The order of ideas must follow the order of things.”
    —Giambattista Vico (1688–1744)