An eponym (from Greek, επωνυμος, eponymos: επι, epi, "upon, to" + ονομα (onoma, "name") is a word formed from a person's name. The Greek word, eponymoi, refers more specifically to gods or heroes after whom something has been named. I've already included one such example in the word "tantalize". Three other words -- saturnine, mercurial, and martial -- have all formed from the names of Roman deities.
to be saturnine is to be cold, slow to change, gloomy, dull, and sullen. Saturn, the father of Zeus and the god of agriculture and harvest, is described as one of the most complicated gods. The planet Saturn was the furthest observable planet during the Classical age. In astrology, people born under this planet receive the traits from the god: Saturn intensifies feelings of sadness.
*A bit of trivia: Saturday (dies Saturni, day of Saturn) is the only word in English that's retained its Roman name.
to be mercurial is to be volatile and erratic; in other words, characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes in mood. The term derives from the Roman god Mercury (Latin, Mercurius), "the patron god of circulation, the movement of goods, people, and words and their roles" (Oxford Classical Dictionary). The planet Mercury and the element mercury are also his namesakes.
We get the word martial from Mars, the Roman god of war...not surprisingly, martial means "associated with war".
Just a few examples of how ancient thought has affected our vocabulary today, and examples of the varying soures that have influenced our words.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
"Mercurial" could also be thought of in the sense that someone is acting as if they have ingested mercury (the element).
From the OED:
"7. Of a person: having a lively, volatile, or restless nature; liable to sudden and unpredictable changes of mind or mood; quick-witted, imaginative. Later also gen. (applied to animals, phenomena, etc.,): changeable, unpredictable, fickle.
Originally such qualities were associated with the god or the planet; the sense is now usually understood to allude to the properties of mercury the metal."
Mercury has been rendered and studied for nearly 4000 years- and the alchemical symbol for mercury is the same as the symbol for the god Mercury. On one hand, the metal, also known as "quicksilver" has a reflective surface ("lively"?), flows quickly ("volatile","restless"), and, taken further, causes psychosis when ingested ("unpredictable").
Any of the three aspects of Mercury- the nature of the god, the nature of the metal, the nature of the metal poisoning- could be said to be the origin of "mercurial".
do you want to study in abroad today or in the next intake. we are the best and top rated study abroad consultancies in india with good visa assurance.we help usa foreign education consultancies in hyderabad you in filing the f1 visa for you in very less time. we are also help you with information needed to apply for the college university.
Post a Comment