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Day: April 5, 2017

Is the culture on Corfu any different than in the rest of Greece considering it was never occupied by the Ottomans?

By: | Post date: 2017-04-05 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Culture, Modern Greek

I’ve wanted to know the answer to this question bad enough, that I want to spend time in Corfu or Zante next time I’m in Greece. Though as a friend has justly pointed out to me, there’s no way I’d grok the cultural differences between the Ionian Islands and the rest of Greece as a […]

In “whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her,” might that ‘to’ indicate a purpose clause?

By: | Post date: 2017-04-05 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: Linguistics, Mediaeval Greek

To corroborate John Simpson’s answer to In “whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after her,” might that ‘to’ indicate a purpose clause?: The Greek literally says Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτῆς, ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ, “towards the desiring of her”. That “towards” is […]

How did the world’s major countries all conform to using first and last names from an early era?

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Posted in categories: Culture, Linguistics, Mediaeval Greek, Other Languages

Surname – Wikipedia Surnames seems to have been invented independentishly in Europe at a similar time: they were reintroduced after the Roman three-way names fell out of use in the West. From Wikipedia, I see it’s a messy web of transmission. Wikipedia suggests (not very loudly) that the Modern Western notion of surnames was transmitted […]

Are “humility” and “humiliate” related?

By: | Post date: 2017-04-05 | Comments: No Comments
Posted in categories: English, Linguistics

Yes. Using tools from Online Etymology Dictionary: Humilis is Latin for humble. Humble is Old French humble < *humle < *humile < humilis. Humility is from Latin humilitas “humbleness”, which comes from humilis. Humiliate is to make someone feel like crap: you’re humbling them, you’re making them feel low (which is actually what humilis originally […]