Quarantine

🌊⚓ Ahoy, mates! Welcome back to our language and culture series!

Did you know that the word "quarantine" has an interesting story from the old days of sailing? 🚢💀

Back in the 14th century, when the dreaded Black Death was spreading, cities like Venice in Italy found themselves in a tricky situation. To keep the plague at bay, they came up with a clever plan called "quarantena." This policy required ships arriving from plague areas to stay anchored offshore for 40 days before they could dock. That's a long time to wait! ⏳🚫

Now, you might be wondering, "Why 40 days?" Well, it's because of a word from Latin, "quadraginta," which means "forty." This was how long they thought it took to be safe from the disease. Over time, "quarantena" changed into the English word "quarantine" that we use today! 🛡️🤒

So, the next time you're stuck in quarantine, just remember, you're kind of like a sailor from long ago, dealing with tough times in history! ⛵🔍