Derrick, From Gothic King to Cranes and Oil Rigs

Derrick, From Gothic King to Cranes and Oil Rigs Derrick, From Gothic King to Cranes and Oil Rigs Derrick, From Gothic King to Cranes and Oil Rigs By Maeve Maddox The family name Derrick derives from the personal name commonly spelled Derek, which is a shortening of the Germanic name Theodoric, â€Å"ruler of the people.† Theodoric the Great (454-526), king of the Ostrogoths and eventual de facto ruler of Italy, probably inspired a great many European namesakes. Numerous versions of the name exist, including Darrick, Derrik, Diederick, Diederik, Dieter, and Dirk. The name existed in England as Deoric and Deodric during Anglo-Saxon times, but fell out of favor during the medieval period. It was reintroduced into the British Isles from the Low Countries in the 15th century. One bearer of the name was Thomas Derrick, an Englishman who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I. Convicted of rape and sentenced to death, Derrick was pardoned by the second Earl of Essex on condition that he serve as hangman at Tyburn, the principal execution location for criminals, traitors and religious dissenters. Derrick is said to have executed more than 3,000 people. Ironically, his pardoner, the Earl of Essex, was one of them, although not at Tyburn. Because of his noble blood, Essex was beheaded on Tower Green in the Tower of London, the last person, by the way, to be executed there. Perhaps because most of his experience was with hangings at Tyburn, Derrick had to swing the axe three times before finishing the job on the earl. Such was Derrick’s professional fame that his name became generic for hangman. His name survives as a common noun in modern English, but with a different meaning. When Thomas Derrick took up his duties at Tyburn, hangings were carried out with a rope passed over a beam. He modernized the process by adding a topping lift and pulleys to the beam to make it easier to lift and lower the condemned person. The new device was soon known as a Derrick. The word for a device invented to make it easier to lift and lower bodies has come to mean â€Å"a contrivance for hoisting or moving heavy weights.† The following examples illustrate the Elizabethan hangman’s legacy in modern usage: As we left Woodall’s place, old oil derricks stretched up from platforms on the water around the Highway 42 bridge.   Derricks  at other ports for the use of sea-going ships were completed or partially completed when stopped by the armistice. Cranes and  derricks  that are located at a  shipbuilding/shipyard  facility and are shore-based (e.g., shop cranes, yard cranes) do not require certification. Derricks  and masts  are vital structural fixtures to a drilling operation.   Construction derricks prick the  skyline  of every city. The common noun derrick is an eponym. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives16 Misquoted QuotationsRite, Write, Right, Wright