{"id":594,"date":"2016-07-22T14:55:17","date_gmt":"2016-07-22T18:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/?post_type=chapter&p=594"},"modified":"2017-06-15T19:02:54","modified_gmt":"2017-06-15T23:02:54","slug":"%c2%a719-interesting-words","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/chapter\/%c2%a719-interesting-words\/","title":{"raw":"\u00a719. Interesting Words","rendered":"\u00a719. Interesting Words"},"content":{"raw":"

A third-declension Latin noun of the labor <\/b>type was umor<\/b>, source of English humour <\/i> (humor) <\/i>and humorous. <\/i>It may puzzle you to learn that its original meaning was \u201cmoisture\u201d\u2014it\u2019s related to humid\u2014<\/i>unless you know something about the ancient medical theory of the humours<\/i>, the four fluids that were thought to control human disposition. These were blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black bile). According to this longstanding belief, well-balanced people need a proper mixture (t<\/strong>emperamentum<\/b>) of the four fluids. If our temperament is out of balance, we may perhaps behave in an erratic or \u201chumorous\u201d fashion. By the way, this word humorous <\/i>has nothing to do with the arm-bone or humerus,<\/i> an adaptation of Latin umerus<\/b>, \u201cshoulder.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Mention has already been made of the English word crux<\/i>, which means a \u201cproblem\u201d or \u201cpuzzle.\u201d Latin crux, crucis<\/b> has given us a variety of other words, too. Christian missionaries from Ireland brought cross <\/i>into the language during the Old English period. Through Dutch we got cruise<\/i>, and through Spanish, crusade<\/i>. Crisscross<\/i> comes from Christcross<\/i>. Directly linked with Latin crux<\/b> are crucify, crucifixion, crucifix, crucifer, cruciform, crucial, cruciate, excruciate<\/i>, and crucible<\/i>. In later chapters, we\u2019ll see how some of these derivatives acquired their form.<\/p>\r\n

<\/i>Another Latin word that has been highly productive in English is caput, capitis<\/b>, \u201chead.\u201d You will think at once of capital<\/i>; but that is only the beginning. Here is a partial list of derivatives: chief, chef, kerchief<\/i> (a \u201ccover-head\u201d), handkerchief, mischief, cattle, chattel<\/i> (doublets from capitalis<\/b>), captain, chieftain <\/i>(doublets from capitanus<\/b>), cadet, cape<\/i> (a \u201cheadland\u201d), capitol<\/i>, chapter<\/i>, biceps<\/i> (\u201ctwo-headed\u201d), decapitate,<\/i> <\/i>and precipitate. <\/i><\/p>\r\n

A \u201ckind\u201d or category in biological classification is a genus<\/i> (plural genera)<\/i>\u2014pure Latin. As a result of French transmission, the same word has produced the English doublets gender<\/i> and genre; <\/i>both also mean \u201ckind\u201d or \u201cclass,\u201d but with useful differences in application. As well as being the standard word for \u201ctime,\u201d Latin tempus<\/b> could also
denote the \u201ctemple\u201d (of the head), especially in the plural form tempora<\/b>. This is apparently because the human temples were viewed as the \u201ctimely\u201d or fatal spots. In English, temporal<\/i> can mean \u201cpertaining to time\u201d or \u201cpertaining to the temples.\u201d The English homograph temple<\/i> (\u201cshrine\u201d) is derived from an unrelated Latin 2nd declension noun, templum<\/b> (\u201csacred enclosure,\u201d \u201cshrine\u201d).<\/p>\r\n

Finally, let us consider the English word host<\/i>, which is actually three different words. The host<\/i> who provides hospitality<\/i> is derived from hospes, hospitis<\/b>; the host<\/i> that is a hostile<\/i> army or a vast multitude (Wordsworth\u2019s \u201chost of golden daffodils\u201d) comes from hostis, hosti<\/b>s<\/b>, \u201cenemy\u201d (a 3rd declension noun like finis<\/b>); and the host<\/i> that is eaten in Christian communion or mass comes from the 1st declension noun hostia<\/b>, a sacrifice. If you check your dictionary, you will find that these three HOMOGRAPHS<\/b> (\u00a712<\/a>) all appear as separate word entries.[footnote] None of the three is the source of E hostage<\/em>, which is derived ultimately from L obses<\/strong>, obsidis<\/strong>, \u201chostage\u201d; still, it appears that E hostage<\/em> was influenced by the unrelated Latin word hospes<\/strong>, hospitis<\/strong>.[\/footnote]<\/p>\r\n ","rendered":"

A third-declension Latin noun of the labor <\/b>type was umor<\/b>, source of English humour <\/i> (humor) <\/i>and humorous. <\/i>It may puzzle you to learn that its original meaning was \u201cmoisture\u201d\u2014it\u2019s related to humid\u2014<\/i>unless you know something about the ancient medical theory of the humours<\/i>, the four fluids that were thought to control human disposition. These were blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile), and melancholy (black bile). According to this longstanding belief, well-balanced people need a proper mixture (t<\/strong>emperamentum<\/b>) of the four fluids. If our temperament is out of balance, we may perhaps behave in an erratic or \u201chumorous\u201d fashion. By the way, this word humorous <\/i>has nothing to do with the arm-bone or humerus,<\/i> an adaptation of Latin umerus<\/b>, \u201cshoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mention has already been made of the English word crux<\/i>, which means a \u201cproblem\u201d or \u201cpuzzle.\u201d Latin crux, crucis<\/b> has given us a variety of other words, too. Christian missionaries from Ireland brought cross <\/i>into the language during the Old English period. Through Dutch we got cruise<\/i>, and through Spanish, crusade<\/i>. Crisscross<\/i> comes from Christcross<\/i>. Directly linked with Latin crux<\/b> are crucify, crucifixion, crucifix, crucifer, cruciform, crucial, cruciate, excruciate<\/i>, and crucible<\/i>. In later chapters, we\u2019ll see how some of these derivatives acquired their form.<\/p>\n

<\/i>Another Latin word that has been highly productive in English is caput, capitis<\/b>, \u201chead.\u201d You will think at once of capital<\/i>; but that is only the beginning. Here is a partial list of derivatives: chief, chef, kerchief<\/i> (a \u201ccover-head\u201d), handkerchief, mischief, cattle, chattel<\/i> (doublets from capitalis<\/b>), captain, chieftain <\/i>(doublets from capitanus<\/b>), cadet, cape<\/i> (a \u201cheadland\u201d), capitol<\/i>, chapter<\/i>, biceps<\/i> (\u201ctwo-headed\u201d), decapitate,<\/i> <\/i>and precipitate. <\/i><\/p>\n

A \u201ckind\u201d or category in biological classification is a genus<\/i> (plural genera)<\/i>\u2014pure Latin. As a result of French transmission, the same word has produced the English doublets gender<\/i> and genre; <\/i>both also mean \u201ckind\u201d or \u201cclass,\u201d but with useful differences in application. As well as being the standard word for \u201ctime,\u201d Latin tempus<\/b> could also
denote the \u201ctemple\u201d (of the head), especially in the plural form tempora<\/b>. This is apparently because the human temples were viewed as the \u201ctimely\u201d or fatal spots. In English, temporal<\/i> can mean \u201cpertaining to time\u201d or \u201cpertaining to the temples.\u201d The English homograph temple<\/i> (\u201cshrine\u201d) is derived from an unrelated Latin 2nd declension noun, templum<\/b> (\u201csacred enclosure,\u201d \u201cshrine\u201d).<\/p>\n

Finally, let us consider the English word host<\/i>, which is actually three different words. The host<\/i> who provides hospitality<\/i> is derived from hospes, hospitis<\/b>; the host<\/i> that is a hostile<\/i> army or a vast multitude (Wordsworth\u2019s \u201chost of golden daffodils\u201d) comes from hostis, hosti<\/b>s<\/b>, \u201cenemy\u201d (a 3rd declension noun like finis<\/b>); and the host<\/i> that is eaten in Christian communion or mass comes from the 1st declension noun hostia<\/b>, a sacrifice. If you check your dictionary, you will find that these three HOMOGRAPHS<\/b> (\u00a712<\/a>) all appear as separate word entries.[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

  1. None of the three is the source of E hostage<\/em>, which is derived ultimately from L obses<\/strong>, obsidis<\/strong>, \u201chostage\u201d; still, it appears that E hostage<\/em> was influenced by the unrelated Latin word hospes<\/strong>, hospitis<\/strong>. ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"Chapter 3: The Latin Noun (Declensions 3, 4, 5)","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[52],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-594","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":579,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2070,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/594\/revisions\/2070"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/579"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/594\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=594"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=594"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}