Your Greek Word On A Sunday

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Today's word has a small journey as it's very straight forward. It has also been reduced to a single meaning in Greek. Αυτό (auto) is short for Εαυτό and it means 'self' . Κράτος (kratos) means 'state' . In Ancient Greece and Rome, the combined word meant , any system of government that was absolute and it included Monarchy, dictatorship and a whole empire. The word came to English through the usual route, Latin and old French and what I find interesting is which political system has been attached to most, today. In modern English it's used to describe a single ruler an 'autocrat' while in modern Greek it means 'an Empire'. ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΙΑ/AUTOCRACY

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There are two versions of this myth and I chose the one places ancient Turkey and Ancient Greece geologically closer than they are today. The Greek God Ασωπός (Asopos), son of Poseidon, gave his name to a river that ran through central Greece and sprang from another river in Asia Minor. The river Μαίανδρος (Meandros). That river had so many twists and turns that its name is used to describe a very winding flow or way of travel. In modern Greek, the word is used described that little winding pattern you see in ancient greek merchandise. The word originally came into English from Latin around 1590 and was kept as a description of river flows until 1630 when it started being used metaphorically. The original river, now located in Turkey, is called Menderes and drains into the Aegean. ΜΑΙΑΝΔΡΟΣ/MEANDER

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This word came to us from medicine and the metaphorical meaning is what we use today. Χεκτικός (Hektikos), in ancient Greek meant 'continuous'. It was linked to fevers and was a monitoring sign for certain diseases. In English it was used specifically for fever that not only wouldn't stop but go up and down during the course of a day, exhausting the patient. The word came from late Latin 'Hecticus' and nowadays describes a continuously , fast-paced life. ΧΕΚΤΙΚΟΣ/HECTIC

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Oenanthe Crocata, is a flower with a very sweet taste that grows near lakes in Sardinia. It's also known as 'Sardonion'. Eating it, will cause a state of drunkenness accompanied by laughter, paralyse your jaw, make your face muscles contract as if you're smiling and eventually, kill you. In Greek, it's called 'wine flower' because of its sweetness. Homer used its effects metaphorically to describe Odysseus's laughter and that's how it came  to us today. A laughter or a smile that is not kind at all. ΣΑΡΔΟΝΙΟ/SARDONIC

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Today's word is so much older than the Valentine celebration and I have to admit I thought it would make a good joke.  Δάκτυλος (Daktilos) in ancient Greek and Δάχτυλο (Dahtilo) in modern means, 'finger'. There's a plant that started, probably, in Mesopotamia in 4000BC that both its leaves and fruit resemble a human finger and that's how it got its name. 'Dactylus' in Latin, 'Datil' in old French and from the 1300 onwards in England ΔΑΧΤΥΛΟ/DATE

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Φήμη (feme) was one of Gaia's daughters and sister to Hope, among others. She was responsible for spreading the news of both Godly and Human achievements but if you fell short on her liking then, you could expect all kinds of gossip linked to your name. The Greeks had a temple dedicated to her in the ancient agora in Athens, next to the temple of Pudency. She's usually depicted holding a laurel and a trumpet. In Roman mythology she's called Fama and that's how the word came to English in the 14th century. ΦΗΜΗ/FAME

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Πόλις (polis) in both ancient and modern Greek means the 'City' . This is a root word for many more that we'll have a chance to explore in the future. Plato wrote Πολιτεία (politia) around 380BC which was a fictional discussion between the philosophers of the time on what a Just society is, the educational system, the debate between Philosophy and Poetry and many more. It was split in ten books based on subject. The Latin translation is Res Rublica which means, 'the state of public affairs' and was translated as such to be understood by people living during the Roman Democracy. To put it simply, a set of rules made to govern a city. ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ/POLICY

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Συν (syn) is a preposition meaning 'and', 'together'. Θέση (thesi) means 'position' Combining things either naturally or artificially is called ΣΥΝΘΕΣΗ

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Κεντρί (kendri) in both ancient and modern Greek means the 'Sting' . Because the point of a compass was as sharp and pointy, the mathematician Euclid, named the mark left when drafting a circle, after it. The word came to English from Latin in the late 1400 and kept that spelling. ΚΕΝΤΡΟ/CENTER.

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Happy New Year everyone! May you be happy, prosper and shine in whatever you decide to do this year!
We begin 2024 with a Myth. We've touched upon this lineage before but today, we're going to where everything started. So, in the beginning, there was Chaos and they gave birth to Νυξ (Nyx). She was fierce and frightful and all powerful. Among her many children were Day, Dream, Death, Nemesis and Uranus (the sky) who, along with Gaia (the Earth) created the World.  Nyx was also an oracle and she continued , long after the world was created, to advise the Olympian Gods. There is a similarity in most European languages on how to pronounce her name and (alongside other facts), it makes scholars think that the old countries counted time based on the dark part of the day not the light. 'Naktam' in Sanskrit, 'Nacht' in old German, 'Natt' in old Norse, 'Nochd' in old Irish, 'Nox' in Latin and in modern Greek, ΝΥΧΤΑ/NIGHT

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Merry Christmas to those celebrating and , have a well deserved rest those of you who don't! Today's word is the last one of the year and I thought of bringing you one that came all the way from Ancient Greece with only a slight modification due to the different alphabet and, a meaning worth of a day like this, ΠΑΥΣΗ/PAUSE

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The Ancient Greek Theatre has many parts and each of them has their specific function within Greek Drama. I won't talk about all of them but , in the centre was Θυμέλη (thimeli), the altar of Dionysus since theatre was part of the festivals celebrating him. Πάροδοι (parodae), on the sides the entrances and exits. Σκηνή (scene) the Stage at the forefront and raised. Προσκήνιο (proscenium) ,the painted pillars in front of the stage that formed the set  and behind it, was the big open space where the chorus would sing and dance. That part was named after the Greek word for 'dance' όρχηση (orchisi). As theatre progressed, the space was used by the Romans for the area of officials and later the French, would use it for the place where the musicians stood and accompanied a play. And that's how it became synonymous to any large group of musicians. ΟΡΧΗΣΤΡΑ/ORCHESTRA

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In every language, I suspect, there are words that have lost their original meaning because they've become closely associated with or solely used for, one purpose. Today's word is a very good example! Κατά (kata) is a preposition and among other things, it means 'according to'. Ηχος (echos) means 'Sound'. The combined word means 'according to what you hear' and it was used for any kind of verbal teaching or information spread by word of mouth. It arrived in English early in the 15th century through ecclesiastical Latin. ΚΑΤΗΧΗΣΗ/CATECHISM

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There are some words whose history of meaning surprises me because it's not based on reason or practicality but, sentiment. Συν (syn) means 'with', Βάλλειν (vallin) is the ancient greek infinitive for 'throw'. The combined word arrived in English in the 15th century and meant the result of two individual things thrown together so they can form a whole. That match, was a sign for their owners to recognise eachother without speaking. A secret acknowledgment. The completed piece was called a ΣΥΜΒΟΛΟ/SYMBOL

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I love it when I get the chance to prove how tricky Greek language can be. Only because it's a challenge to describe. 
At then end of last month I talked about the same infinitive φαίνειν (phenin) meaning 'to show', to create the word 'Phantom'. Here, it's being used again, but after the preposition Εν (en) which becomes 'em' when combined and it means 'within' , 'from the inside' So, making something visible from the inside. Projecting. In rhetoric 'applying significance', in writing 'underlining'. The word started as a guide on how to do that with your voice, the force and stress applied to the utterance of a word or phrase. In England it arrived at the end of the 16th century from Latin. ΕΜΦΑΣΗ/EMPHASIS

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The origins of all three meanings of this word, can be found in Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. But an Ancient Greek comedy character called Είρων (Eron/Iron) who would pretend to not understand what was happening, only to expose the boastful, started appearing more and more until his name was given to his actions. In literature those actions are divided in, Verbal: where you pretend you don't understand what's been said to you, and mock it.  Dramatic: where everyone understands what's happening to you, but you. And, Situational: where you strive for one thing but get quite the opposite result. ΕΙΡΩΝΙΑ/IRONY

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Δια (dia) means 'between', 'across' and it's also the name of the mathematical symbol for division. One of the meanings of the word Λόγος (logos) is, 'speech'. When a new form of speech is created within a language because of a region, a social group or a cultural one then, that form of speech is called a ΔΙΑΛΕΚΤΟΣ/DIALECT

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We're doing all things language this November!
Φέρω (fero) is an ancient Greek verb meaning 'to carry', 'to bring'. Μετά (meta) is both a preposition and an adjective, meaning 'after', 'forward'. The combined word means a 'transition'. It's a figure of speech that explains one thing by using another. To carry a meaning over is a ΜΕΤΑΦΟΡΑ/METAPHOR

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Happy Halloween everyone! 
This word has an interesting history and several origin theories. The Ancient Greek word Τύμβος (Timvos) , meant either the grave, the small hip of soil on top of a grave or the smoke coming up after the burning of the dead, You can also find the root in Armenian, Sanskrit and Old Welsh. But when the word came to Latin, it got shortened, kept the basic function and left the theories to the linguists and historians. ΤΥΜΒΟΣ/TOMB

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Approaching Halloween so, let the spooky words in! 
Φαίνειν is an ancient Greek infinitive and it means 'to appear/ to make something visible'. The thing that is been made visible is a Φάντασμα  and it used to mean 'an illusion' before it meant 'an apparition'. The root of this word can be found in old Armenian, old Irish and of course Sanskrit but the Greek one is the one that came through. Latin 'Fantasma', French 'Fantome' and eventually the English in the 1300's. ΦΑΝΤΑΣΜΑ/PHANTOM

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