This is the allusionist in which I, Helen Salzman, step in a pile of language and track

it all through the house.

Okay, let's gear up with some word history, the etymology of the word control.

As a noun, it's been around in English since the 1580s.

The verb has been recorded in English since the early 14th century, when it meant to verify

to regulate.

It came from medieval Latin, Contra-Rotulus, which meant a register.

Contra meant against.

Rotulus was a role.

Contra-Rotulus against a role.

What?

Get ready for some medieval accountancy systems.

And bear in mind, in the middle ages, official business in England was conducted in Latin

and French.

Contra-Rotulus begat the Anglo-French term Contra-Roli to check against a duplicate account.

The English court had been using Contra-Rols since around the year 1200 to keep track of

financial transactions.

The roles, or rotuli, were rolled up length of parchment with a column of text down them,

and there were three of them.

One for the treasury, which managed the finances, one for the chanceary, which was responsible

for official written documents, and a third role, which was the responsibility of an official

on behalf of the monarch.

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