Queues

By Lindsay Palmisano
What does a band of parchment, a lion’s tail, a barrel of ale, a braid, and a line of ticketholders waiting to enter a football stadium have in common? These things may not seem similar in today’s terms, but at one time in the past, they were all queues. Each word originated from a concept that separate things can come together and be contained. While the meaning of the word queue has shifted over time, all the definitions make reference to a structured group.

 The Oxford English Dictionary defines queue as “a line or sequence of people, vehicles, etc., waiting their turn to proceed, or be attended to especially in purchasing or receiving something” (Queue, 2013). Similarly, The New Oxford English Dictionary definition of queue similarly suggests that the word describes “a line or sequence of people or vehicles awaiting their turn to be attended to or to proceed” (Queue, 2001). Although queue is closely associated to other words such as row, series, line, file order, and succession, it describes a certain type of these synonyms. This word does not describe a sketched mark, a band of color, or an extent of length. Queue specifically defines a line of people and vehicles. Also, a queue is not static. The individuals or vehicles are waiting to proceed to buy or receive something in an orderly fashion.

 Queue was derived from the Latin word couda, meaning tail. Often, it was used in conjunction with the term ‘fourché’ to describe a ‘rampant lion’ with a double tail. The Anglo-Normans as well as the people of the Middle French time period are believed to have adapted the word with the same meaning, however, spelled queue in the 1100s. However, the definition of the word changed from its origin in 1174 when a ‘double queue’ was known as a “band of parchment attached to a document, bearing the seal” (Queue, 2013). This expression, along with the one used previously, is now obsolete. Additional forms of queue that are now rarely used in any language today were first introduced in 1260 and 1500. Queue was a ‘barrel or cask, usually wooden, used to contain liquids” as well as a line of dancers. This term was used to describe these French containers and dancers until 1724 when the British used queue to describe a plait of hair. This description was used in Britain, and in 1837, the term was adopted by Americans and was later used to mean a line of people or vehicles.

 ‘Queue’ has evolved greatly over time. Why did this change occur when the term remained in the same locale for most of its existence? A beast’s tail moves in the same direction although it is comprised of individual hair follicles. A band of parchment keeps thoughts and ideas organized into one document. A braid keeps separate strands of hair together and neat looking. Finally, a line of people is a system that organizes individuals. The only definition that does not fall into this structured design is queue that defines a barrel used to contain liquids, most often wine. I speculate that the small spout of the barrel keeps a steady, controlled flow of the wine. Also, the wood of the barrel is made of bounded planks of wood that face the same direction.

 I speculate that a historical change in trends could have caused the transformation of queue’s meaning. The queue hairstyle faded by the mid-nineteenth century, a little after the word was adopted in the United States of America. Men of that time began changing this hairstyle from the long, straight plaits of hair to shorter styles. Those with the long hair held in queues down their backs were the ones waiting for service in a line. This queue now not only described their hair, but the lines themselves.

 Seeing beyond the history of the word and looking at its present day usage, the expression, queue, reveals a great deal about the study of groups. In order to become a group, individuals must arrange themselves into a collective unit and establish order within this band, which is what a queue essentially does. It arranges people into queue disciplines. The order in which people are served or tended to can be on the basis of first-come, first-serve, last-in line, or a random order. No matter what system is selected, it effectively creates a just system to serve members of a group. A queue, as well as a group, is a concept that keeps individuals moving in the same direction toward a common goal.

References Queue, n. [Def. 1]. (2001). In E. J. Jewell (Ed.), The New Oxford American Dictionary (p. 1396). New York, New York: Oxford University Press. Queue, n. [Def. 7]. (2013, September). In Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved September 9, 2013, from [|http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/156382?rskey=JfqGpr&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid]  