beach

Anyone else suffering from senioritis may appreciate this word, since it's just about all I can think about.

"Beach" is defined in the AHD as "the shore of a body of water, esp. when sandy or pebbly." It comes from the Middle English word "beche," which meant stream, and came from the Old English "bece" (AHD). The OED gives more interesting detail; apparently, the word originally referred specifically to the water-worn pebbles that sit at the shore, but "the transference of the term to the place covered by ‘beach,’ was easy for those who heard such phrases as ‘to lie’ or ‘walk on the beach,’ without knowing the exact significance (OED). I like how this example is a more concrete demonstration of what we have seen all semester, in the ways that meanings can be misconstrued over time due to the associations that they have.