historical change - Why did Servia become Serbia? - English Language . . . Servia suggested a false connection with Latin servus 'slave', reflected in English serf and servile (whereas serve and service have more positive denotations) Similarly, Rumânia was changed to România to reflect Romanian român 'Roman' rather than rumân 'peasant, serf', although too late to affect French Roumanie (English has mostly
Why has the plague on our houses become a pox? The short answer may be that, in the heat of the moment, a pox is as good as a plague At any rate, ill-wishers have urged both "a plague on" and "a pox on" the objects of their ire for centuries past