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Category: English
Why does cnidarian have a silent “c”?
For the same reason knight and knee (German Knecht, Knie) have a silent k (and used to have a c: Old English cnēo, cniht). English stopped allowing initial kn– in its words in the Middle Ages. Words imported into English from other languages tend to abide by the pronunciation constraints (phonotactics) of native English words. […]
Why have the words “overmorrow” and “ereyesterday” gone? Was it easier for speakers to use “the day after tomorrow” instead of “overmorrow”?
It’s very hard to know. Language change is a bunch of stuff that happens, and language does not always change in an optimal direction. Greek has certainly retained its equivalent words, proxtes and methavrio (and even one more day out: antiproxtes, antimethavrio), it’s not like the concept had become suddenly useless. The following is necessarily […]
How should you write third-person reflexive pronouns in a non-sexist way?
So, what’s the reflexive equivalent of non-binary (specific) or gender neutral (non-specific) they? They are different, btw: you use the former for someone non-binary, and the latter for generic non-gender referents. E.g. Sam (who is intersex) recused XXX from…, vs. The chairperson shall recuse XXX from… The former is much newer than the latter. Two […]
Ancient Greek transliteration: why does the letter κ become c, and the letter υ become y?
Vote #1 Amy Dakin: Amy Dakin’s answer to Ancient Greek transliteration: why does the letter κ become c, and the letter υ become y? Bear in mind that K was imported into Latin from Greek, but it was a something of an affectation. It was never used seriously, so it was never going to be […]
What does “copped a serve” mean and what is the origin of the expression?
Vote #1 Danya Rose, who as far as I know has the right answer. Danya Rose’s answer to What does “copped a serve” mean and what is the origin of the expression? To my astonishment, OED does not have the phrase. It does have related phrases under cop, v. 3: “to capture, catch, lay hold […]
What is a four-tined fork called if a three-tined fork is a trident? Serious and not so serious answers welcomed!
quadrident. 3780 hits on Google. Here’s a commercial instance: IMERSION – Underwaters sports – SPEARFISHING SPIRIT The Coralign brand has a large variety of differents accessories tridents and quadridents to fit the threaded 6 X 100 shafts. Answered 2017-01-17 [Originally posted on http://quora.com/What-is-a-four-tined-fork-called-if-a-three-tined-fork-is-a-trident-Serious-and-not-so-serious-answers-welcomed/answer/Nick-Nicholas-5]
Is there a word for “time travel” using Greek or Latin parts of speech?
The Modern Greek for “time travel” is the unimaginative calque Ταξίδι στο χρόνο (“travel in time”). It does indeed use the chronos word; but taxidi is a mediaeval word which now means “travel, journey” (originally, it was “expedition”). Star Trek was originally rendered in Greek as Ταξίδι στα Άστρα “Journey to the Stars”. For a […]
What is it called when you get aroused by watching people die?
Vote #1 Vicky Prest: Vicky Prest’s answer to What is it called when you get aroused by watching people die? No, seriously. Because this answer is just pedantic commentary on her answer, from someone who knows too much Greek, and can look up words on Wikipedia: List of paraphilias – Wikipedia. Symphorophilia. Literally, “misfortune-love”. Not […]
How different is the syntax of English (in the last three centuries) from those of ancient Greek or katharevousa?
The “last three centuries” gives me pause. Syntactically, there have been changes from Ancient Greek to Modern Greek, and in fact Katharevousa is closer to Modern than Ancient Greek, though it did pick up nesting articles inside articles (“the of the meeting chairperson”). But in the big picture typologically, they’re all pretty similar: free (pragmatically […]
What English words appear to be derived from Latin, but aren’t?
In a roundabout way: syllabus is ultimately derived from a garbling of the obscure Greek word sittyba, which got mangled progressively in manuscripts and then print editions of Cicero, and reinterpreted from its original meaning “title slip”. The Curious and Quibbling History of “Syllabus” (part 2) Answered 2017-01-06 [Originally posted on http://quora.com/What-English-words-appear-to-be-derived-from-Latin-but-arent/answer/Nick-Nicholas-5]