How did we get the word ‘quiz’?
We all know what a quiz is. Simply put, it’s a competition where participants test their knowledge by answering questions on one or more topics, with those who cannot answer getting eliminated. Sometimes a surprise class test is also called a quiz. The scale of these contests range from a family quiz to Kaun Banega Crorepati. Today we are going to look at the fascinating evolution of the word ‘quiz’ and the current competition format.
Did quiz exist in the ancient world?
While ancient India, Persia, Arabia and China had examples of masters and gurus testing the knowledge of their students, there was no concept of quiz. Clerks applying to work for the Chinese Emperor had to take written exams, much like the banking or civil services today. But there were no evidence of a general quiz there either.
Oddly enough, even the Greeks and Romans, famous for their open forum discussions and debates, did not have the quiz. Nor is it part of any tribal culture.
Did the word ‘quiz’ exist in the English language?
The word ‘quiz’ existed in the 16th century. At that time, it meant ‘an odd looking person’ or ‘an odd incident’. There’s a popular legend around the source of the word. Apparently, Richard Daly, the manager of a Dublin theatre wagered that he could make a meaningless word the talk of the city in a day, and get people to give it a meaning in a week. To win the bid, he got the letters Q, U, I and Z painted on doors and shutters all over Dublin at night. Everyone talked about it the next day, and within a week gave it a meaning of something odd. But there’s no guarantee about the truth of this legend.
By the 1790’s, ‘quiz’ meant a yoyo like toy and a practical joke or a witty person. The Oxford English Dictionary and similar etymological sources also cite this meaning.
When was the word ‘quiz’ first used in its current meaning?
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, in 1867, the term ‘quiz’ first appeared to mean a test of knowledge comprising a set of specific questions. Next it came to mean tests by teachers, and that meaning is still applicable. Early 20th century American newspapers started using quiz to mean a puzzle solving contest. That is how the meaning of the word, and the size of quiz contests steadily grew, till it became what it is today.