Q: I've heard that "cousin" derives from "co-sin" because cousins are often accomplices in mischief. Could that possibly be true? — Chris Ryan, New York City

A:Well, if you're thinking about the time my cousin Ricky and I took the wheels off my little sister's baby carriage to make a soapbox car, you might be right. But, alas, "cousin" has a less nefarious origin.

"Cousin" derives from the Latin "consobrinus," which specifically denoted "the child of one's mother's sister." "Consobrinus" later expanded to mean the child of any uncle or aunt, and, when English adopted it as "cousin" during the 1200s, its meaning enlarged even further to include any relative.

That's why characters are always running around in Shakespeare's plays calling everyone "gentle coz" — along with a lot of other names we can't mention here.

Eventually, "cousin" trimmed down to its current meaning — the child of any uncle or aunt, preferably one who can get you free tickets to Red Sox games.

Q: I'm wondering about the word "presently?" I once used it to mean "currently," and someone said it actually means "soon." — Susan Plese via email

A: Like an indecisive chameleon, "presently" has changed its meanings several times over the centuries.

When it first crawled into English during the 1300s, it did have the meaning you gave it: "currently," as in, "We presently have five chameleons." But during the 1600s, "presently" re-colorized itself to mean "immediately" as in, "The peasants are attacking! Bring me the boiling oil presently!"

Then, a century later, "presently" shifted its meaning again, this time to "in a short time, soon," as in, "I'll serve your tea presently."

But the original "currently" meaning of "presently" never disappeared, despite its growing condemnation by usage authorities. The American Heritage Dictionary, for instance, reports that, between 1965 and 1999, half its usage panel disapproved of sentences such as: "Madeline Albright is presently secretary of state."

Some claim that using "presently" to mean "currently" causes ambiguity. But in most cases, the verb tense always reveals which meaning is intended. For instance, "we are eating presently" clearly refers to current eating, and "we will be eating presently" to future eating.

My only reservation about using "presently" to mean "currently" is wordiness. Why use a long chameleon when the short mouse "now" does the trick.

Why am I picturing a chameleon eating a mouse? Gulp!

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to [email protected] or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Michael Coghlan