{"id":94,"date":"2016-08-01T19:43:04","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T23:43:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/?post_type=chapter&p=94"},"modified":"2016-11-30T15:59:53","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T20:59:53","slug":"%c2%a7126-greek-number-words-in-english","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/chapter\/%c2%a7126-greek-number-words-in-english\/","title":{"raw":"\u00a7126. Greek Number Words in English","rendered":"\u00a7126. Greek Number Words in English"},"content":{"raw":"

Greek ordinal adjectives regularly use the connecting vowel omicron: E prototype<\/i> (prot-o-type, \u201cfirst imprint\u201d), Deuteronomy<\/i> (deuter-o-nomy, \u201csecond law\u201d). This same linking vowel is found in derivatives of mon<\/b>- (\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2, \u201conly,\u201d a quasi-numerical form that often provides the concept of \u201cone\u201d): monolithic<\/i>, monomorphic<\/i>, monomania, mo<\/i>nopoly<\/i>. Of course, no linkage is needed if the second base begins with a vowel: protagonist<\/i> (\u03c0\u03c1\u03c9\u03c4-\u03b1\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd-\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2, \u201cfirst combatant\"[footnote] The protagonist<\/em> was the leading actor in a Greek tragedy; there was also a deuteragonist<\/em> and usually a tritagonist<\/em>. In any modern dramatic situation, there can be only one protagonist<\/em>; sometimes people refer to \u201cthe two protagonists<\/em>,\u201d when they probably mean \u201cthe two antagonists<\/em>.\u201d[\/footnote]), monocular<\/i> (G mon<\/b>- + L oculus<\/b> + L -aris<\/b>). Unlike the ordinals, most Greek cardinal numbers have stems or bases that already end in vowels, and therefore do not show that omicron link: dyarchy<\/i> (\u201ctwo rule\u201d), tripod<\/i> (\u201cthree foot\u201d), pentameter<\/i> (\u201cfive measure\u201d), Decalogue<\/i> (\u03b4\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 + \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03bf\u03b9 = Ten Commandments).<\/p>\r\n

Relative to Latin, Greek number words have had limited influence on English, being perhaps most familiar in the fields of plane and solid geometry. Here are two such groups:<\/p>\r\n

-\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd (\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03b1, g<\/b>\u014d<\/strong>nia<\/b>, \u201cangle\u201d) > E -gon: <\/i> tetragon, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trigonometry<\/i> (\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1, t<\/strong>ri-g<\/b>\u014d<\/strong>n-o-metria<\/b>, \u201ctriangle measure\u201d);<\/p>\r\n

-\u1f11\u03b4\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd (\u1f11\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1, hedra<\/b>, \u201cseat,\u201d \u201cbase\u201d) > E -hedron: <\/i> tetrahedron<\/i> (a three-dimensional solid), hexahedron <\/i> (e.g., a cube), octahedron<\/i>, dodecahedron<\/i> (12), polyhedron.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

Students of literature will recognize the words dimeter, trimeter, pentameter, hexameter<\/i>, all of which combine numerals with metron<\/b> to count the \u201cmeasures\u201d in a verse of poetry. A triptych<\/i> (\u03c0\u03c4\u03c5\u03c7\u03b7, \u201cfold\u201d; = L triplex<\/b>), is an altarpiece or other work of art in three sections. Since antiquity, the Olympic games have had a pentathlon<\/i> (\u1f00\u03b8\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd, \u201ccontest\u201d; cf. \u1f00\u03b8\u03bb\u03b7\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2, E athlete<\/i>); today we have a heptathlon<\/i> and a decathlon<\/i>.<\/p>","rendered":"

Greek ordinal adjectives regularly use the connecting vowel omicron: E prototype<\/i> (prot-o-type, \u201cfirst imprint\u201d), Deuteronomy<\/i> (deuter-o-nomy, \u201csecond law\u201d). This same linking vowel is found in derivatives of mon<\/b>– (\u03bc\u03bf\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2, \u201conly,\u201d a quasi-numerical form that often provides the concept of \u201cone\u201d): monolithic<\/i>, monomorphic<\/i>, monomania, mo<\/i>nopoly<\/i>. Of course, no linkage is needed if the second base begins with a vowel: protagonist<\/i> (\u03c0\u03c1\u03c9\u03c4-\u03b1\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd-\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2, \u201cfirst combatant”[1]<\/sup><\/a>), monocular<\/i> (G mon<\/b>– + L oculus<\/b> + L –aris<\/b>). Unlike the ordinals, most Greek cardinal numbers have stems or bases that already end in vowels, and therefore do not show that omicron link: dyarchy<\/i> (\u201ctwo rule\u201d), tripod<\/i> (\u201cthree foot\u201d), pentameter<\/i> (\u201cfive measure\u201d), Decalogue<\/i> (\u03b4\u03b5\u03ba\u03b1 + \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03bf\u03b9 = Ten Commandments).<\/p>\n

Relative to Latin, Greek number words have had limited influence on English, being perhaps most familiar in the fields of plane and solid geometry. Here are two such groups:<\/p>\n

-\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bd (\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03b9\u03b1, g<\/b>\u014d<\/strong>nia<\/b>, \u201cangle\u201d) > E -gon: <\/i> tetragon, pentagon, hexagon, octagon, trigonometry<\/i> (\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03b3\u03c9\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03c4\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1, t<\/strong>ri-g<\/b>\u014d<\/strong>n-o-metria<\/b>, \u201ctriangle measure\u201d);<\/p>\n

-\u1f11\u03b4\u03c1\u03bf\u03bd (\u1f11\u03b4\u03c1\u03b1, hedra<\/b>, \u201cseat,\u201d \u201cbase\u201d) > E -hedron: <\/i> tetrahedron<\/i> (a three-dimensional solid), hexahedron <\/i> (e.g., a cube), octahedron<\/i>, dodecahedron<\/i> (12), polyhedron.<\/i><\/p>\n

Students of literature will recognize the words dimeter, trimeter, pentameter, hexameter<\/i>, all of which combine numerals with metron<\/b> to count the \u201cmeasures\u201d in a verse of poetry. A triptych<\/i> (\u03c0\u03c4\u03c5\u03c7\u03b7, \u201cfold\u201d; = L triplex<\/b>), is an altarpiece or other work of art in three sections. Since antiquity, the Olympic games have had a pentathlon<\/i> (\u1f00\u03b8\u03bb\u03bf\u03bd, \u201ccontest\u201d; cf. \u1f00\u03b8\u03bb\u03b7\u03c4\u03b7\u03c2, E athlete<\/i>); today we have a heptathlon<\/i> and a decathlon<\/i>.<\/p>\n

  1. The protagonist<\/em> was the leading actor in a Greek tragedy; there was also a deuteragonist<\/em> and usually a tritagonist<\/em>. In any modern dramatic situation, there can be only one protagonist<\/em>; sometimes people refer to \u201cthe two protagonists<\/em>,\u201d when they probably mean \u201cthe two antagonists<\/em>.\u201d ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"Chapter 20: Numerals in Greek and Latin","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[52],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-94","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":89,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":485,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/revisions\/485"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/89"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/94\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=94"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/greeklatinroots2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}